PAF bombs Taliban hideouts after deadly raid on military base

[Windjammer]

PESHAWAR: Military planes killed 16 suspected militants in bombing raids near the Afghan border on Saturday, and police arrested dozens of people, security officials said, the day after Taliban militants killed 29 people in an attack on an air base.

The attack on the base on Friday was the deadliest ever militant attack on a Pakistani military installation and is likely to undermine already rocky ties with Afghanistan.

Hours after the attack, military spokesperson Asim Bajwa pointedly noted that communications intercepts showed the Taliban gunmen were being directed by handlers in Afghanistan.

Read: PAF base attack planned in Afghanistan: DG ISPR

Saturday’s air force raids targeted militant bases in the Tirah Valley, which straddles the Afghan border and is a main smuggling route between the two countries, two security officials said.

“All those killed in the bombing were Pakistani militants,” said one security official in Peshawar.

On Friday, 13 gunmen stormed the Badaber air base, about 10 kilometres south of Peshawar in an attack a Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) spokesperson said was retaliation for bombing raids on their bases along the Afghan border.


Police said they picked up around 50 residents living near the base on suspicion of helping the militants organise the attack.

Shafqat Malik, head of the Peshawar bomb squad, said the attackers carried enough firepower to occupy the base, but that some of their weapons had malfunctioned. Each man had an assault rifle, two improvised explosive devices, and several rocket propelled grenades, but some of the grenades misfired, he said.

“Their mission was occupation of the air base,” he said.

Pakistan launched an offensive to dislodge TTP from North Waziristan in 2014 and there has been fighting in various places, including the Tirah Valley, since then.

Read: US, UN term attack on PAF camp a ‘reprehensible act’

For years Pakistan and Afghanistan have traded accusations of not doing enough to stamp out insurgents on either side of their long, porous border.

Last month, Afghanistan blamed Pakistan for not doing enough to counter militants who carried out a series of attacks in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

 

[Maarkhoor]

Windjammer bhai yeh raids hamesha baad mien kioyun hoti hien preemptive kiyoun nahien.

 

[$@rJen]

So PAF only bombs their hideouts after the attacks??? why not before that?? it wouldv'e stopped them from attacking in the first place right!!??

 

[PDF]

The airstrikes was most probably the continuity of op Zarb e Azb. Yes the recent raids conducted were the response of the base camp attack. I hope we clear the Tirah Valley within 2-3 weeks.

 

[M.SAAD]

This is becoming a joke news day by day..

The fact that the terrorists were able to infiltrate into the PAF base is a Huge failure of our Security and Intelligence agencies .

 

[coffee_cup]

Why the §$%$ DAWN, Express Tribune, Geo calls these scums "Militants".

These are terrorists.

Oh wait, I re-read what I wrote... it is foreign funded DAWN, Express Tribune and Geo.

Now that clarifies!

 

[jaunty]

This has become a common trend in Pakistan. After a terrorist attack, PAF suddenly bombs a terrorist hideout. One wonders why they have to always do it after an attack. I just hope that these "suspected militants" are real terrorists.

 

[Hussain Farooqui]

The political culprits who are aggrandizing the terrorist groups must also be dealt with iron hands. Maulana Diesel, Sirajul Haq and other supporting politicians must be hanged for aggrandizing these terrorists. .

 

[Paksanity]

Windjammer bhai yeh raids hamesha baad mien kioyun hoti hien preemptive kiyoun nahien.

So PAF only bombs their hideouts after the attacks??? why not before that?? it wouldv'e stopped them from attacking in the first place right!!??

Interception of communications during attack provides leads to terrorist targets which are bombed. Unless you are suggesting we should not bomb them that is how it will be played out.

And please remember hundereds of bombings for last many years otherwise we would be seeing similar terrorist attacks everyday.

 

[Hussain Farooqui]

This is becoming a joke news day by day..

The fact that the terrorists were able to infiltrate into the PAF base is a Huge failure of our Security and Intelligence agencies .

Imran's govt. in KPK is a failed govt. They have not yet even established any spying network to keep an eye on these subversive elements. Imran is just interested in his dharnas to topple Nawaz' s govt.. If he really wants to become the PM of Pakistan he must perform with the best standards in the remaining tenure of the next 3 years, otherwise, he will stand nowhere in politics after 3 years.

 

[$@rJen]

Interception of communications during attack provides leads to terrorist targets which are bombed. Unless you are suggesting we should not bomb them that is how it will be played out.

And please remember hundereds of bombings for last many years otherwise we would be seeing similar terrorist attacks everyday.

No... you guys claimed the communication was from Afghanistan, that's why your Intelligence pointed the finger at Afghanistan. Where did i suggested not to bomb them??

What i think its the regular strike against ttp but someone managed to change the title

 

[StormShadow]

Why the §$%$ DAWN, Express Tribune, Geo calls these scums "Militants".

These are terrorists.

Oh wait, I re-read what I wrote... it is foreign funded DAWN, Express Tribune and Geo.

Now that clarifies!

Maybe they follow the evergreen policy of one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

 

[Windjammer]

So PAF only bombs their hideouts after the attacks??? why not before that?? it wouldv'e stopped them from attacking in the first place right!!??

This has become a common tend in Pakistan. After a terrorist attack, PAF suddenly bombs a terrorist hideout. One wonders why they have to always do it after an attack. I just hope that these "suspected militants" are real terrorists.

It's not a good idea to wash the soap before your hands, there's a dedicated thread regarding the on going operation against terrorists, there are ground operations and air strikes conducted on almost daily basis, some get reported others we miss.
I am sure most of you must have seen even the air chief participating in one of these missions, however today was a major hit.

Operation Zarb-e-Azb | Updates, News & Discussions. | Page 178

 

[Paksanity]

No... you guys claimed the communication was from Afghanistan, that's why your Intelligence pointed the finger at Afghanistan. Where did i suggested not to bomb them??

What i think its the regular strike against ttp but someone managed to change the title

There is always a staging middleman involved which provides logistics and shelter in target country. They will receive the terrorists and facilitate the attack. If found they will be attacked too by our forces.

 

[PDF]

St

Imran's govt. in KPK is a failed govt. They have not yet even established any spying network to keep an eye on these subversive elements. Imran is just interested in his dharnas to topple Nawaz' s govt.. If he really wants to become the PM of Pakistan he must perform with the best standards in the remaining tenure of the next 3 years, otherwise, he will stand nowhere in politics after 3 years.

Stop making this a political issue. This is not the political section to bash other. KPK police is great. Peshawar is an easy target to prey.
P.S: I am not a PTI fan.infact,I prefer NS over IK...