Militants wearing military uniforms attacked a key Pakistan Air Force base early Thursday, destroying at least one aircraft, a media report said
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Six militants and two security personnel were killed when heavily armed terrorists Thursday morning mounted a brazen attack on an airbase in Pakistan's Punjab province, military said.
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According to a spokesperson with Pakistan Air Force (PAF), at about 2 a.m. Thursday, six heavily armed militants launched the attack on PAF Kamra airbase in Attock district, which is located some 70 km northwest of the capital Islamabad, reported Xinhua.
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Intense gunfire broke out between the militants and the security forces, said the spokesperson, adding that six attackers were killed after more than three hours of fighting.u00a0
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One of the militants killed in the attack was wearing a suicide jacket.u00a0
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Pakistani Air Force personnel cordon off the main entrance of the air force base following an attack. Photo: AFP
While media reports said that one aircraft was destroyed in the attack, the PAF spokesperson denied it saying that the attackers failed to reach any of the planes.u00a0
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The attack took place when a group of militants, wearing military uniforms, were stopped at a checkpost of the Kamra airbase, said media reports.
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The militants had successfully crossed over three checkposts before they were stopped at the fourth one.u00a0
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They opened fire and hurled grenades at the security people at the checkpost when they were stopped.u00a0
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Huge smoke and fire were seen rising from the airbase following the attack, said local residents.u00a0
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Commandos were called in and paramilitary forces and police were quickly deployed outside the airbase to counter any second attack.u00a0
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A spokesman with Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that army commandos were also dispatched to the attack site at the request of PAF.u00a0
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Both Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf have issued statements strongly condemning the attack.u00a0
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No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.u00a0
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Thursday's attack on the Kamra airbase is the second of its kind launched by militants in the country over the past year or so.u00a0
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On May 22, 2011, a group of militants launched an attack on an airbase in the country's southern port city of Karachi, in which at least one US-made P-3C Orion plane was destroyed and a number of security personnel were killed and wounded.
