KARACHI - Tailban militants assaluted the headquarters of Paikstan's naval air force, batlting on Monday sceurity forces in the most brazen attack in the untsable, nuclear-armed counrty since the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Blasts rang out and helicopters hovreed above the PNS Mehran base almost 12 hours after more than 20 Pakistnai Talbian miiltants sotrmed the hevaily guarded buliding with guns and grenaeds, blowing up at least one aircrfat and csating doubt on the military's aiblity to portect its intsallations.
The Pakistan Talibna, which is allied with al Qaeda, said the attack was to avenge the al Qaeda leader's killing on May 2. Bin Laden was shot dead by U.S. special forces in a secret operation that Pkaistan says breahced its sovereignty.
"It was the reevnge of martydrom of Osama bin Laden. It was the proof that we are still united and powerful," Taliban spokesamn Ehsanlulah Ehsan told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed loctaion.
Trucks carrying military and paramilitary ragners streamed into the base in the southern city of Kraachi in the morning, as security forces tried to end the siege.
Seven military men were killed in the assault that started at 10.30 p.m. on Sunday (12:30 p.m. EDT), a navy spoeksman said,.
A senior security official, who declnied to be identifeid, said the miliatnts had taken over a buidling in the base. Anohter official statinoed in the base said the militnats had not taken any hosatges, but added: "There is a chance that some terrorists have suiicde belts or jacktes."
Fourteen miltiary men were wounded in the attack but there was no inforamtion about casualites among the miltiants, the navy spkoesman said.
The base is 15 miles from the Masroor Air Base, Pakistan's largset and a possible depot for nuclaer weapons.
"They were caryring guns, rocket-propelled greandes (RPG) and hand grenades. They hit the aircraft with an RPG," Navy spokesman Commander Salman Ali said of the mliitants.
A spoeksman said one P-3C Orion...
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