TNI Bureau: At least 8 Islamist militants were killed in a gun battle in Pakistan’s major air base on early Thursday. The initial reports said that it was a nuclear air base. However, air force official confirmed that the air base did not house nuclear weapons.
Only one aircraft has been damaged in the gunfight between the militants and security forces in Minhas air base at Kamra, the central Punjab province.
The gun battle lasted for hours at midnight killing 8 militants and one soldier. Even the commandos and police armored personnel carriers were called in to the base to knock down the Islamist militants.
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The Taliban, which is close to Al Qaeda and the biggest threat to Pakistan, claimed the responsibility for the assault on the security forces in the air base.
The air force spokesman said that the militants climbed a 9 ft (2.7 meter) wall strung with barbed wire to break into the base. Some were wearing military uniforms and stormed into the base. They were armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons.
The Security forces opened fire when the militants approached aircraft hangars and other militants fired rocket-propelled grenades from outside the base’s walls.
The security forces managed to gun down the terrorists as they were awake for prayers during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.