QUETTA: Twelve terrorists were killed and 11 security personnel injured in Thursday night’s abortive attacks on the PAF’s Samungli base and the army aviation’s Khalid base.

Fearing arrest, some of the attackers blew themselves up when besieged by security forces. Others were killed in the hours-long gun battle.

All of them are believed to be foreigners, most probably Uzbeks. Terrorists of same origin are believed to have been involved in this year’s audacious attack on Karachi airport and an assault on Karachi’s Mehran naval base in 2011.

“We killed all terrorists before they could enter the bases,” the Commander of Southern Command, Lt Gen Mohammad Nasir Khan Janjua, told reporters on Friday. Reporters were shown the bodies of terrorists and arms and ammunition found on their bodies.

“No terrorist managed to enter the air bases. All installations are safe and intact,” Lt-Gen Janjua said, adding that all attackers were foreigners, probably Uzbek.

He said the well-planned twin attacks were simultaneously launched between 9.30pm and 10pm to divide security forces.

Three terrorists blew themselves up when security forces surrounded them. Their bodies were found near the first fence of the boundary of an air base.

Nine others were killed in the gun battle which lasted several hours.

Quetta airport remained safe during the attacks and an ensuing search operation near Samungli air base. No plane was parked at the airport when terrorists carried out the raids.

However, fight operation resumed on Friday noon after security forces cleared Samungli and Khalid air bases and announced an end to the search operation.

Sources said the attackers had come in two vehicles and carried heavy weapons, including automatic rifles, rocket launchers, grenades, bombs and landmines.

A group of terrorists entered the Khalid base area after cutting the fence and fired rockets.

At the same time, the other group launched an attack at Samungli airbase by lobbing rockets and grenades. They tried to enter the air base through a rainstorm drain, but security forces foiled the attempt.

The terrorists fired rocket and hurled grenades during the fight with security forces.

Sources said security forces -- including police, Anti-Terrorist Force, Frontier Corps and Balochistan Constabulary -- rushed to the area, took positions and fired back at the attackers, using heavy weapons.

At Khalid air base, army troops pinned down the attackers inside the first fence wall. Two terrorists blew themselves up and four others were killed by security forces.

The gun battle and ensuing search operation continued till the morning.

The rockets fired by the terrorists did not land in the air bases where fighter jets, helicopters and other planes were parked. “Rockets exploded in the open area outside the bases,” a police official said.

Sources said attackers also made a successful attempt to blow up a checkpost of Samungli airbase.

According to Lt Gen Janjua, security forces had been alert in view of intelligence that an assault was likely. “The information was provided by common people, which shows that masses are in the front line in the fight against terrorism,” he said.

In reply to a question, he said according to evidences collected so far, 12 terrorists were involved in the two attacks and all of them were killed. “Six terrorists were killed in Samungli air base area and six others near Khalid air base,” Lt Gen Janjua said.

He stressed the need for national unity in the fight against terrorists who wanted to destroy the country.

He said it could not be ruled out that the attacks had come in reaction to Operation Zarb-i-Azb.

When informed, Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif gave credit for foiling the attacks to people of Balochistan, he added. Balochistan Chief Minister Dr, Malik Baloch said: “We were expecting such attacks after the assault on Karachi airport.”

He praised security forces for putting up a valiant fight and announced Rs 2 million reward for policemen who had taken part in the battle.

The people living near the bases could not sleep for whole night as the air reverberated with the thud of huge blasts and heavy firing.

Sources said that security forces had detained for interrogation some suspects from settlements in the Samungli area.

After the attack on Karachi airport, the administration had removed many Kutchi Abadis from around the Quetta airport and the air bases.

Security has been beefed up at other airports of Balochistan, including Pasni, Zhob, Gwadar, Turbat, Panjgur, Khuzdar and Dalbandin.

VISIT: The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, arrived in Quetta on Friday and was briefed about the attack on Samungli airbase by the Base Commander, Air Commodore Salman Ahsan Bukhari. He took a round of the airbase and inspected security arrangements.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2014