PNS Mehran attack

Last updated

PNS Mehran attack
Part of series of insurgent attacks in Pakistan
Date22–23 May 2011
Location
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
24°00′N67°00′E / 24.0°N 67.0°E / 24.0; 67.0
Result

Pakistan Navy re-captures naval base

  • No hostages were taken
  • Militants killed in action
  • Naval surveillance planes destroyed
Belligerents
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Naval Standard of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Navy 		Flag of the Taliban.svg TTP
Flag of Jihad.svg Al-Qaeda
Commanders and leaders
Lieutenant Yasser Abbas  † Ehsanullah Ehsan
Azam Tariq
Ayman al-Zawahiri
Ilyas Kashmiri   †
Units involved
Naval Special Service Group–SSG(N)
Special Security Unit Sindh Police		 15-man-strong terrorist squad
Strength
500+ 15 terrorists
Casualties and losses
Killed in action (total 18):
11 naval officers [1]
1 fireman
3 SSG(N) officers
1 sailor [1]
2 Army Rangers [1]
Wounded in Action :
16 naval personnel [1]
Physical damage:
2 P3C Orion aircraft destroyed. [1] [2] 		Killed in Action:
4 militants [2]
Wounded in Action
5 militants
Caught:
4 militants
2 militants escaped
Pakistan location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Karachi
class=notpageimage|
Location within Pakistan

The PNS Mehran attack [3] [4] [5] was an attack/shooting by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al Qaeda which took place on 22 May 2011, at PNS Mehran, the headquarters of the Pakistan Navy's Naval Air Arm and the most populous Pakistani military installation, located near the PAF's Faisal Air Force Base of Karachi, Sindh.

Contents

In the course of the event, 15 attackers killed 18 military personnel and wounded 16 in a sophisticated terrorist attack which lasted 16 hours. [6] Two American-built P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft were destroyed. [7]

According to the United States and Western intelligence sources, the attack was far more dangerous than the 2009 Pakistan Army General Headquarters attack, and was better planned and more rehearsed than the previous attack. [8] [9] It was the biggest attack on the Navy and its assets since 1971, and is believed to have been the last major attack of militant mastermind Ilyas Kashmiri. [10] The Special Service Group (Navy) (SSG (N)), carried out the counter-attack, which was the largest operation led by SSG (N).

Motive for the attack

The Pakistan Navy noted al-Qaeda members within its ranks. Raids were carried out and certain members were arrested by the Naval Intelligence. The talks that ensued between the Navy and the al-Qaeda did not succeed, since the Navy did not release the arrested members. Warnings were issued and after the death of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda attacked the naval base. [11]

TTP preparation against the Navy

A month prior to the attack on PN Naval Base Mehran, the Pakistan Navy was twice targeted for bombings in various locations of Karachi by unknown perpetrators. The first of the bombings took place on 21 April 2011 on two naval buses and the second attack happened on 28 April 2011 on a naval coaster. An estimated 12 lives (all of them were medical staff and naval officers) including one lady naval officer, were lost since the start of the bombing. [12] [13] Prior to the attacks, Naval intelligence was twice alerted by the TTP's attack on Pakistan naval facilities in Karachi.

Raid

The attack took place on the evening of 22 May at around 20:30 (17:30 GMT) when a 15-man TTP force stormed the three hangars housing aircraft at the Mehran naval aviation base. [14] The militants had cut the barbed wire fence at a place on the perimeter fence where they could not be detected by security cameras, and they were wearing black clothes. The militants first attacked the aircraft parked on the tarmac and the equipment in nearby hangars. [15] They used rocket-propelled grenades to damage and destroy several warplanes and premiere anti-submarine and marine surveillance aircraft—the US-made P-3C Orion. Several multimillion-dollar aircraft were set ablaze. [15]

According to Naval Intelligence, the militants entered the naval base from the airfield of Faisal Air Force Base, near Mehran Naval Base. The militants then entered nearby buildings and opened fire indiscriminately, killing several naval personnel, and afterwards carried their raid into the heart of the base. According to the intelligence reports, the militants were not Taliban, judging from their abilities and training.[ citation needed ]

Combat

Following the attack, the teams of SSG (N) arrived at the scene of shooting from their headquarters. [16] At 05:00, six hours after the assault had begun, the counter-operation started. [17] [18] By the time SSG (N) arrived, the attackers had taken position on the roof of an adjacent two-storey building used by Pakistan Navy for pre- and post-flight briefings and debriefings. Prime Minister Gillani personally monitored this operation, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff, and Chief of Naval Staff stayed in direct contact with Prime Minister Gillani. The core objectives of the mission were issued to SSG (N) teams. [16] The main priority of mission was to recover and evacuate the foreign military advisers from the scene of shooting. [16] The second objective was to either kill or apprehend the militants. [16] The third and final objective was issued by the Naval Intelligence, in which the SSG (N) were instructed to recover the bodies of militants to prevent further mutilation, in order to carry out the investigations. The complex, which the foreign advisers were held in, has a crew room, a lounge, a briefing room and a leisure room and small offices. [16] The gang leader, however, stayed in front of the building, taking a position on the ground. As the teams engaged, the leader went inside the building. A sniper on the rooftop began firing rounds at the SSG (N) teams, taking out men with the help of night-vision equipment. [16] The militant sniper also killed three naval firefighters and two Rangers, who were providing cover for naval firefighters, who were trying to get control of a fire on a P3C-Orion aircraft. [16] The SSG (N) teams quickly targeted the sniper. [16] The sniper was shot in the head and fell on the ground from the top of the complex. [16] According to Naval Intelligence, the militants were only targeting the aircraft and its crew who were unarmed, mostly pilots and officers. [19] The SSG (N) teams provided the cover to the crew in a heavy exchange of fire while the crew took the aircraft to a safe place. [19] The SSG (N) teams had pushed and forced the militants into retaliation, after SSG (N) took aggressive counter measure. [19] The militants ran and hid in a complex near the airport. [19]

After cordoning off the building and giving the warning to the terrorists to surrender, three SSG (N) personnel and two sailors tried to enter the building from the front door in a bid to engage the leader. A heavy exchange of fire ensued. [16] The SSG (N) teams then entered the building to search for the rest of the attackers. The SSG (N) teams inside engaged in a room-to-room battle with two assailants equipped with AK-47s and hand grenades. [16] One of the attackers was shot in the head and killed instantly, which preventing him from blowing himself up. [16] The other attacker was also hit, but he succeeded in blowing himself up. He had 17 bullet hits. [16]

It was reported that five Pakistan military personnel were killed and eleven wounded. The dead included one sailor, three firefighters and an Army ranger. [17] The first SSG (N) team, under Lieutenant Abbase, entered the first floor of the complex, where Abbase's team first secured and evacuated the 17 foreign military advisers and technicians who were providing training to the Pakistan Navy's officials. [8] The Navy reported that the SSG (N) teams successfully evacuated 11 PLA Air Force technicians and six USN military advisers, along with securing the other aircraft from further damage. [8] The SSG (N) teams evacuated the foreign advisers from the back of the complex. [16] The Sea King, belonging to No. 111th Naval Squadron of Special Operations Command, took off to an unknown location from the scene carrying the foreign military advisers and other naval officers, including a Rear-Admiral who was reportedly seen engaged with the militants in the complex. [16] During this course, none of the foreign advisers, technicians, hostages, or even the SSG (N) members were killed. [16] After achieving the first core objectives, the SSG (N) teams made a contact with four militants on the first floor who came to learn about the foreign advisers. [16] In a 15-minute-long battle, all of the four militants were disarmed and apprehended by the SSG (N). [16] At 07:00, more than 30 SSG (N) teams entered and penetrated into the base. [17] As the teams progressed, eight heavy explosions were heard inside the base in the space of 30 minutes. [17] At 7:30, the TTP claimed the responsibility of the attack. Reuters quoted the words of Ehsanullah Ehsan (the spokesperson of TTP) by telephone from an undisclosed location, "It was the revenge of martyrdom of Osama bin Laden. It was the proof that we are still united and powerful". [17] At 10:00, the militants took control of the air traffic control tower but had not taken any hostages; the staff had escaped prior to the militants' seizing of the tower. [17] The SSG (N) then entered one by one to take control over the tower, and after a two-hour-long battle, the SSG (N) took control of the tower with five wounded militants in custody. At 12:00, the Navy reported that the death toll of its officers has risen to 12, of which eleven were members of the Navy, one an Army Ranger. [17] At 13:00, when the operation officially ended, 18 sailors were reported to have been killed and 16 others wounded. [17] In all, it took approximately 16 hours to secure the base. [18]

Responsibility

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) publicly claimed the responsibility of the attack. Reuters quoted the words of Ehsanullah Ehsan, the spokesperson of TTP, by telephone from an undisclosed location, "It was the revenge of martyrdom of Osama bin Laden. It was the proof that we are still united and powerful,". Lieutenant-General (retired) Hamid Gul, former director-general of the ISI, rejected the TTP claim. [20] Gul blamed the United States for this incident as Gul told the Channel 4 News that there is absolutely no doubt that this was a US operation. [20] However, Gul did not provide any evidence for his claim. Later Channel 4 News contacted the US Department of State but they did not respond to the request. [20] According to media reports, three of the assailants were Uzbeks, and they were commanded by a Pakistani national. [21]

On 25 May, senior Naval Intelligence officials told The News International that CIA contractors and anti-Pakistan lobbies had used al-Qaeda for carrying out the raid. [21] [22] Officials also asserted that an external force[s] was behind for such attack, and the main objective of such raid was to destroy the P3-C Orion aircraft. Officials at Naval Intelligence also believed that a group of al-Qaeda and TTP had been trained in Afghanistan by an anti-Pakistan force to carry out such operations against the state. [21] [22]

Prior to his disappearance and murder, journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad wrote in the Asia Times Online that al-Qaeda carried out the attack after negotiations with the Navy for the release of officials, suspected of al-Qaeda links, had failed. According to Shahzad, the attackers were all from Ilyas Kashmiri's 313 Brigade of al-Qaeda. [11]

The News International reported in December 2011 that the TTP-associated Punjabi Taliban had been involved in the attack. According to the wife of Qari Faisal, a slain leader of the Punjabi Taliban, the group had provided the militants with food and logistical support. She also claimed that the militants had been of foreign origin. [23]

Investigation

The Naval Intelligence of Pakistan launched a formal investigation into the PNS Mehran attack, with an investigation team which will be headed by a two-star rear admiral, and officials from the Naval Intelligence. [24] According to Interior Ministry officials the investigation team includes officers from Air Intelligence (Pakistan Air Force), FIA, and Army Rangers officers. [24] A senior officer of the Interior Ministry's Crisis Management Cell has said that the PNS Mehran attack has caused Pakistan a loss of 6.47 billion rupees. [24]

GEO News also reported that severe contradictions have emerged following the attack on PNS Mehran. [25] The differences found in the statements of Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Chief of Naval Staff and the FIR lodged by the Navy have complicated the matter. [25] Lieutenant Irfan Asghar (who was on night duty when the base was attacked) reported that 10 to 12 terrorists had attacked the base. [25] According to the Police, proof had been found that four terrorists were involved in the attack and they were carrying suicide jackets and other explosives. [25]

Pakistan media reported on 23 May, that the both Naval Intelligence and Interior Minister Rehman Malik are deeply convinced that there was an internal hand that provided the deep information about the base. Naval Intelligence and Naval Police also apprehended suspects from nearby residential areas. The suspects were held at an unknown location by the Naval Police. On 25 May, the Naval Intelligence launched an investigation on Mehran Naval Base's Officer Commanding Commodore Raja Tahir for failing to increase the security of the base. [26] Commodore Tahir has been suspended from the Navy and is under current investigation by Naval Intelligence. [26] The Navy appointed Commodore Khalid Pervaiz as the Base's new Officer Commanding. Furthermore, the Naval Police are also interrogating four naval officials of the Pakistan Navy from Lahore in suspicion of being linked with TTP. [26] All of these officials, who were arrested in February 2011, were court-martialed by the JAG Branch of the Navy. These members are currently facing a death penalty with a 25 years in row. However, the NI is currently interrogating these former naval officials at Central Military Jail of Rawalpindi. [26] According to the Navy, these four naval officials are non-commissioned officers, and none of them were ever stationed in the Mehran Naval base. [26]

According to the News Intelligence Unit of Jang Media Group, the Naval Intelligence (NI) was warned that such an attack would take place, in January 2011. [27] This was revealed when Naval Police arrested a former member of the Pakistan Marines for suspicious activities and aiding the Taliban militants. [27] The Marine commando also revealed that a plan was already made to carry out the raid on PNS Mehran Naval Base, Pakistan Oil refineries, and the naval weapons engineering directorate of the Pakistan Navy. [27] This was done, since SSG (N) and Navy, had both covertly and overtly participated in Operation Rah-e-Nijat and Operation Black Thunderstorm. According to Naval Intelligence, the arrested marine commando is related to the Mehsud tribe of South Waziristan, a warrior tribe that is leading the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan against the State of Pakistan. [27] However, the Naval Police and PNS Mehran Officer in Command did not take any preventive measures against the intelligence that was provided by the Naval Intelligence. [27]

On 27 May, the Naval Intelligence apprehended the Qari Qaisar, a close confidant of Mohammed Aqeel, a former Pakistan Army medic who was arrested during Operation Janbaz by the Pakistan Army. [28] Simultaneously, Naval Police also apprehended Ahmed Shahzad from Karachi, and Riaz Chaudhry from Lahore. [28] All of these assailants are linked to TTP and provided logistics to the Taliban. [28]

Consequences

Nuclear alert

Following the attack, Pakistan put its military facilities on high alert. [29] Suspicions also grew in Pakistan about the safety of the country's nuclear assets that may be the Taliban or al-Qaeda's next target. [29] According to the media, Pakistan also tightened the security of its nuclear installations as well as putting them onto high alert. Pakistan's military establishment and civil leadership has been concerned over the attacks on its nuclear facilities, therefore alerting the securities of Pakistan's nuclear assets on a 24-hour alert. [29]

Neighboring India, where the situation was closely monitored, quickly responded by deploying its naval forces to protect its naval bases, particularly the Mumbai naval base.[ which? ] Jang also reported that India has been concerned with the wave of terror incidents in Pakistan and has also put its military on high alert. [30] Indian President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chaired a meeting. Following the meeting, the Prime Minister ordered the tightening of security of Indian nuclear facilities and installations while the Indian Army and the Nuclear Command Authority continued to stay on high alert. [30]

NATO also admitted its concern over the Taliban's ability to target the Pakistan's nuclear installations. Secretary-General Rasmussen expressed concerns over the attack on Pakistan's nuclear facilities, but it also showed his confidence that the nuclear weapons and facilities are well protected. [9]

Reaction

Domestic

Media

GEO Television Director of News Intelligence Unit (NIU) Kamran Khan also criticised the Navy for not conducting proper investigations on previous attacks. Khan said that the Naval Intelligence unit had failed to investigate the assailants behind the previous attacks, and therefore no security measures had been undertaken to protect its multibillion-dollar assets. [37]

International

Aftermath

Soon after the attack, Pakistani media began to air news that an Army SSG Division was going to carry out the operation. This was contradicted by Commodore Irfanul Haque, spokesperson of Naval Inter Services Public Relations. Commodore Haque confirmed that the SSG (N) are the one who are carrying out the operation. The Prime Minister Secretariat also confirmed the Commodore's statement, and said, Prime Minister Gillani is monitoring this operation. During the entire operation, the Naval SSG or SSG (N) exercised complete command, while the Army and Rangers stayed behind the SSG (N) back cordon. Pakistan Army's SSG Division also arrived in the course of the shooting and was ready to conduct an operation. However, SSG (N) arrived at the base earlier than the Army's SSG and had been monitoring and planning an operation before the Army took over. Judging from SSG (N)'s ability to conduct operation, Prime Minister Gillani gave a green signal and go-ahead to SSG (N) to conduct the operation, and monitored the operation from Islamabad. [16] Overall, during the operation, the SSG (N) lost three men who were shot by the ring-leader, prior to starting of the operation. Casualties for Pakistan Marines stood at four men while one Ranger was also killed. No Pakistan Army SSG personnel took participation in the operation. The Marines and Army Rangers kept guard at the perimeter of the Naval Base. [16] As against the GHQ attack, where the Zarar Company of the SSG carried out the operation and 25 people, including two senior Army officials, were killed at the hands of eight terrorists in a gun battle that continued for around 20 hours, the naval SSG personnel managed the situation relatively easily. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistan Navy</span> Maritime service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces

The Pakistan Navy (PN) is the uniform naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The President of Pakistan is the Supreme Commander of the Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral commands the navy. The Pakistan Navy operates on the coastline of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. It was established in August 1947, following the independence of Pakistan from the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in Pakistan</span> Overview of terrorism in Pakistan

Terrorism in Pakistan, according to the Ministry of Interior, poses a significant threat to the people of Pakistan. The wave of terrorism in Pakistan is believed to have started in 2000. Attacks and fatalities in Pakistan were on a "declining trend" between 2015 and 2019, but has gone back up from 2020-2022, with 971 fatalities in 2022.

The Pakistan Rangers are a pair of paramilitary federal law enforcement corps' in Pakistan. The two corps are the Punjab Rangers and the Sindh Rangers. There is also a third corps headquarters in Islamabad but is only for units transferred from the other corps for duties in the federal capital. They are both part of the Civil Armed Forces. The corps' operate administratively under the Pakistan Army but under separate command structures and wear distinctly different uniforms. However, they are usually commanded by officers on secondment from the Pakistan Army. Their primary purpose is to secure and defend the approximately 2,200 km (1,400 mi) long border with neighbouring India. They are also often involved in major internal and external security operations with the regular Pakistani military and provide assistance to municipal and provincial police forces to maintain law and order against crime, terrorism and unrest. In addition, the Punjab Rangers, together with the Indian Border Security Force, participate in an elaborate flag lowering ceremony at the Wagah−Attari border crossing east of Lahore.

<i>Zulfiquar</i>-class frigate

The Zulfiquar-class frigate, also known as F-22P or in English: Sword class, is a class of multi-mission guided missile frigates, in service with the Pakistan Navy. The class is based on an updated model of the Chinese design, the Type 053H3. The frigates were designed and built jointly in Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China and the KS&EW Ltd. in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Service Group (Navy)</span> The special operations force of the Pakistan Navy

The Pakistan Navy Special Service Group is the special operations force tasked with the conducting the small-unit based military operations in all environmental formats of the sea, air, and land by adopting to the tactics of the unconventional warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa</span> Armed conflict involving Pakistan and armed militant groups

The insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also known as the War in North-West Pakistan or Pakistan's war on terror, is an ongoing armed conflict involving Pakistan and Islamist militant groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jundallah, Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI), TNSM, al-Qaeda, and their Central Asian allies such as the ISIL–Khorasan (ISIL), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, East Turkistan Movement, Emirate of Caucasus, and elements of organized crime. Formerly a war, it is now a low-level insurgency as of 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistani Taliban</span> Islamist militant organization operating along the Durand Line

The Pakistani Taliban, officially called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current leader is Noor Wali Mehsud, who has publicly pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban. The Pakistani Taliban share a common ideology with the Afghan Taliban and have assisted them in the 2001–2021 war, but the two groups have separate operation and command structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noman Bashir</span> Pakistani admiral

Noman BashirNI(M) HI(M) SI(M) TI(M) LoM was a Pakistan Navy admiral who served as the 18th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) from 7 October 2008 until retiring on 7 October 2011.

The Pakistan Army General Headquarters attack, was a hostage-rescue mission carried by SSG Division on 10 October 2009, when 10 gunmen in military uniform opened fire on the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan. The attack killed nine soldiers, nine militants and two civilians and was a major escalation in Pakistan's domestic insurgency. One militant was wounded and captured by security forces. Soon after the attack, the militants infiltrated the security buildings where 22 civilian and military officials were held hostage by the militants. The Pakistan Army immediately launched a hostage rescue operation led by the SSG Division, Army Special Forces and the 13th Regular Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistan Naval Air Arm</span> Military unit

The Pakistan Naval Air Arm is the naval aviation branch within the Pakistan Navy that is responsible for aerial operations from the seaborne platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PNS Mehran</span> Airport in Sindh Province, Pakistan

The PNS Mehran is the naval station and the premier air–to-air/air–to–ground training naval air station located in the joint vicinity of the Faisal Air Force Base in Karachi, Sindh, in Pakistan. Established in 1975 with the cooperation of the Pakistan Air Force, the PNS Mehran serves in the capacity as the headquarter of the Naval Aviation Branch of the Pakistan Navy, and grown to its present inventory of 41 multi role aircraft. The latest addition in the Air Arm is the ATR-72.

The Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971 refers to the maritime military engagements between the Indian Navy and the Pakistan Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The series of naval operations began with the Indian Navy's exertion of pressure on Pakistan from the Indian Ocean, while the Indian Army and Indian Air Force moved in to choke Pakistani forces operating in East Pakistan on land. Indian naval operations comprised naval interdiction, air defence, ground support, and logistics missions.

This is a list of terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2014.

On 8 June 2014, 10 militants armed with automatic weapons, a rocket launcher, suicide vests, and grenades attacked Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan. 36 people were killed, including all 10 attackers, and 18 others were wounded. The militant organisation Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) initially claimed responsibility for the attack. According to state media, the attackers were foreigners of Uzbek origin who belonged to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), an Al Qaeda-linked militant organisation that works closely with TTP. The TTP later confirmed that the attack was a joint operation they executed with the IMU, who independently admitted to having supplied personnel for the attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Zarb-e-Azb</span> Joint-military operation involving Pakistan against armed insurgent groups

Operation Zarb-e-Azb was a joint military offensive conducted by the Pakistan Armed Forces against various militant groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, al-Qaeda, Jundallah and Lashkar-e-Islam. The operation was launched on 15 June 2014 in North Waziristan along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as a renewed effort against militancy in the wake of the 8 June attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, for which the TTP and the IMU claimed responsibility. As of 14 July 2014, the operation internally displaced about 929,859 people belonging to 80,302 families from North Waziristan.

The 2014 Quetta airbase attack occurred on 15 August 2014, when approximately 13 Tehrik-i-Taliban militants attempted to storm two airbases of the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force; PAF Base Samungli and Khalid Airbase, both located in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. The attack was largely unsuccessful as Pakistani security forces foiled the attempt following a major armed engagement between the two sides which resulted in the deaths of 12 militants, while 12 people were injured, including one attacker and 11 security personnel.

PNS <i>Zulfiquar</i> (F251)

PNS Zulfiquar (FFG-251) is the lead ship of the F-22P Zulfiquar-class guided missile frigates since 2009. She was designed and constructed by Chinese firm, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in Shanghai, for the Pakistan Navy. The vessel's design is primarily influenced from the Type 053H3 frigate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Peshawar school massacre</span> Tehrik-i-Taliban terrorist attack on the Army Public School and College in Peshawar, Pakistan

On 16 December 2014, six gunmen affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conducted a terrorist attack on the Army Public School in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. The terrorists, all of whom were foreign nationals, comprising one Chechen, three Arabs and two Afghans, entered the school and opened fire on school staff and children, killing 149 people including 132 schoolchildren ranging between eight and eighteen years of age, making it the world's fifth deadliest school massacre. Pakistan launched a rescue operation undertaken by the Pakistan Army's Special Services Group (SSG) special forces, who killed all six terrorists and rescued 960 people. In the long term, Pakistan established the National Action Plan to crack down on terrorism.

The 2015 Camp Badaber attack occurred on 18 September 2015, when 14 Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants attempted to storm Camp Badaber, a Pakistan Air Force base located in Badaber, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The attack killed 25–29 security personnel, including Captain Asfandyar Bukhari of the Pakistan Army, who was responding to the attack as part of a quick-reaction force. All 14 militants were killed in combat with Pakistani forces, according to claims by security officials. The attack, claimed by the TTP to be in retaliation for the Pakistan Armed Forces' Operation Zarb-e-Azb, was the first of its kind in its intensity, and the well-armed TTP militants engaged Pakistani forces at Camp Badaber in a protracted battle that resulted in heavier losses than those inflicted in previous attacks on military installations. PAF Camp Badaber is located about 48 kilometres (30 mi) east of the Afghanistan–Pakistan border.

Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, also known as Abu Mansoor Asim, is a Pakistani Islamic scholar, cleric and jurist who is the 4th emir of the Pakistani Taliban. On 22 June 2018, Mehsud was appointed as the emir of TTP after the assassination of former emir Mullah Fazlullah in a US drone strike in Kunar, Afghanistan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Operation at PNS Base in Karachi comes to an end". Dawn . 23 May 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Pakistan: Troops end attack on Karachi naval air base". BBC. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  3. ↑ "PNS Mehran attack". Pak Tribune. 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 29 May 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  4. ↑ "PNS Mehran: Joint committee begins investigations". The Express Tribune. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  5. ↑ Raza, Atif (26 May 2011). "Police initiate formal investigation into PNS Mehran attack case". Daily Times . Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  6. ↑ "[Pakistan Primer Pt. 2] From Kashmir to the FATA: The ISI Loses Control Archived 27 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine ," Global Bearings, 28 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "Three Pakistan navy officers face trial after base raid inquiry". Reuters. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 نیول بیس حملہ: جی ایچ کیو حملے سے زیادہ خطرناک ہے، امریکا. Daily Jang . 24 May 2011. Archived from the original on 30 July 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  9. 1 2 "NATO concern over Pakistan nuclear arsenal". Al Jazeera . 24 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "[Pakistan Primer Pt. 2] From Kashmir to the FATA: The ISI Loses Control Archived 27 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine ," Global Bearings, 28 October 2011.
  11. 1 2 Shahzad, Syed Saleem (27 May 2011). "Al-Qaeda had warned of Pakistan strike". Asia Times Online. Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. Archived from the original on 30 May 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ↑ "Bomb hits Pakistan navy bus, third this week". Reuters. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "Blast hits Pakistan Navy bus, third in a week". Geo News . 28 April 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  14. ↑ Farooq, Mohammad; Brummitt, Chris (23 May 2011). "Pakistani troops retake naval base from militants". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  15. 1 2 "Pakistan: Troops end attack on Karachi naval air base". BBC News. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Ali, Mayed (25 May 2011). "Details of the Close Combat at PNS Mehran". The News International.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Timeline of events - PNS Mehran Siege". DAWN.COM. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  18. 1 2 "Shaheed Lt Yasir was only brother to 3 sisters". www.geo.tv. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Khalid, Hanif (28 May 2011). "مہران بیس حملہ: جوانوں نے چلتی گولیوں میں جہاز شیلٹر تک پہنچائے". Daily Jang . Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  20. 1 2 3 Khan, Tehmoor (23 May 2011). "Karachi attack 'a US operation', claims ex Pakistan general". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  21. 1 2 3 "Foreign hand behind PNS Mehran Base attack". 2 June 2011. Archived from the original on 2 June 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  22. 1 2 Anjum, Shakil (25 May 2011). "مہران بیس پر حملے میں بھارتی انٹیلی جنس ایجنسی 'را' ملوث تھی". Daily Jang . Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  23. ↑ bin Perwaiz, Salis (15 December 2011). "Punjabi Taliban behind major attacks". The News International. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  24. 1 2 3 Dawn.com (24 May 2011). "Investigation team to probe PNS Mehran attack". Dawn.com. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Discrepancies surround PNS Mehran case". Geo News . 24 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 "PNS Mehran base commander changed". Geo News . 25 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 Cheema, Umar (25 May 2011). پی این ایس مہران پر حملے کا منصوبہ جنوری میں طشت از بام ہو گیا تھا. Daily Jang . Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  28. 1 2 3 مہران ائیر بیس پر حملے میں ملوث ملزم قاری قیصر فیصل آباد سے گرفتار. 28 May 2011. Archived from the original on 2 July 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  29. 1 2 3 "Jang Group Online". 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  30. 1 2 Rasheed, Javed (25 May 2011). "پاکستان کے حالیہ واقعات: بھارتی فوج کی نیوکلیئر کور الرٹ". Daily Jang . Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  31. ↑ "PM directs reviewing security of defense installations". Geo News . 24 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  32. ↑ "PM enquires after health of naval attack victims at PNS Shifa". Geo News . 24 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  33. ↑ "Altaf terms naval base attack as 'open defeat'". Geo News . 25 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  34. ↑ "مہران بیس پر حملہ دفائی اداروں کیلئے چیلنج ہے، شہباز شریف". Geo News . 25 May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  35. ↑ "Nawaz vows to eliminate terrorism". GEO Pakistan.
  36. ↑ "Nisar calls for joint/open sitting of parliament - GEO.tv". 15 April 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  37. ↑ "Jang Group Online". 28 May 2011. Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  38. ↑ "PNS Mehran Operation: none of our officials were held as hostages: China". World News: Jang. 25 May 2011.
  39. ↑ "PNS Mehran attack matter of serious concern: India". Dunya News. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  40. 1 2 "Must work even more closely with Pak: UK - GEO.tv". 28 May 2011. Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  41. 1 2 "US, Britain condemn PNS Mehran attack". Dunya News. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.