ISLAMABAD: Blasts were heard near the Pakistan army's headquarters in Rawalpindi after a team of gunmen brandishing assault rifles and grenades tried to break into the fiercely guarded compound on Saturday, sparking a raging gun battle with troops outside Islamabad, police said.
The brazen attack was the third major militant assault in a week and came as the government said it was planning an imminent offensive against militants in their strongholds in the rugged mountains along the border with Afghanistan.
The gunmen drove up to the army compound shortly before noon and tried to force their way inside before being stopped by soldiers, said Mohammed Jamil, a police official.
The attackers jumped out of the vehicle, took up positions throughout the area and began firing at the troops, he said.
One gunman hurled a grenade, and others fired sporadically at those manning the checkpoint at the compound's entrance, said a senior military official inside.
The terrorists were using sophisticated weapons.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
He said top army officials were trapped inside the compound.
The gunbattle was the third major attack in major cities in recent days, following a car bombing that killed at least 49 on Friday in Peshawar and the bombing of a UN aid agency Monday that killed five in Islamabad.
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Blasts heard in Rawalpindi as GHQ attacked