QUETTA: Amid tight security, bodies of nine men killed during abortive attacks on two airbases on the eve of Aug 14 were buried in Edhi Foundation’s graveyard near the city on Wednesday.

Twelve `terrorists’ had attacked the Pakistan Air Force’s Samungli airbase and the Army Aviation’s Khalid airbase.

Two groups of terrorists had launched the twin attacks simultaneously at around 9.30pm and tried to enter the airbases with the apparent intention of destroying fighter jets and helicopters. But security forces foiled their attempt.

Three of the attackers, wearing suicide vests, blew themselves up when they were surrounded by soldiers. The remaining nine were killed in a gunbattle and a subsequent hours-long search operation in the area.

The Commander of Southern Command, Lt Gen Mohammad Nasser Khan Janjua, had said that the terrorists appeared to be foreigners, most likely Uzbeks.

The nine bodies and the remains of three other terrorists had been kept in a hospital but no one turned up to seek their custody.

According to official sources, the nine bodies were finally handed over to the Edhi Foundation for burial. Babul Khan, the in-charge of the local Edhi Centre, confirmed the burial.

Heavy contingents of the Frontier Corps and police were deployed in and around the graveyard during the burial

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2014