Gunmen attack air force base in Pakistan

Pakistan's army said gunmen stormed the Badaber air base on the outskirts of Peshawar early on Friday, triggering a shootout with security forces.

Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said the militants forced their way into the compound's mosque and gunned down 16 people. He added that it was unclear if the dead were civilians or soldiers.

"Terrorists entered camp at two points. Encounter began immediately," Bajwa tweeted. The attackers "were contained within a close area. Meanwhile a group rushed to mosque, martyred 16 offering prayers."

Bajwa also said that one army captain and at least 13 militants were killed in the clashes. A rescue officer said at least 20 wounded had to be taken to hospital. TV footage showed helicopters hovering above the base as police and troops searched for militants in the area surrounding the compound.

The search continues. "Police have cordoned off the residential area around the air base. It is possible that the militants are hiding in the area," Shakirullah Bangash, a Peshawar police official, told DW.

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Mohamad Khurasani, claimed responsibility for the attack.

"We proudly claim responsibility… This base is being used by fighter jets for bombing us," Khurasani told Reuters.

Local police officer Shahid Khan Bangash said a large explosion was heard after the "terrorists" tried to enter the air force base. "We are hearing that the attackers were armed with guns and rockets," he said.

Peshawar's Badaber air base was mostly being used as accommodation for employees and officers of the air force.

"The attack appears to be a reaction against the ongoing Zarb-e-Azb military operation in the northwest areas. The security forces have been quite successful in eliminating terrorists, and I think the operation must continue," Ilias Bilor, a leader of the opposition Awami National Party, told DW'S Peshawar correspondent, Faridullah Khan.

Friday's attack, the first major incident in some time, comes as the army has been carrying out a major operation against local and foreign militants in North Waziristan, a tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

A crackdown on militancy and an army offensive targeting Taliban bases have both led to a decline in attacks in the country this year. Last December, Taliban gunmen massacred around 150 children and teachers at a military-run school in Peshawar.

nm, sms/rg(Reuters, AP, dpa)