Officials: Militants Attack Pakistani Navy Base

Islamist militants attacked a naval aviation base in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi late Sunday, rocking the base with fiery explosions and battling commandos sent in to subdue the attackers, security officials said.

At least two people were injured and one airplane was destroyed, navy spokesman Salman Ali said, but the total number of casualties was unclear. Many ambulances were being held back because of the fighting inside the base that was still going on more than 2 1/2 hours after the attack began on Pakistani Naval Station Mehran.

The strike appeared to be one of the most brazen to hit the country in several years of relentless violence by al-Qaida and Taliban militants intent on overthrowing Pakistan's U.S.-backed government. It came just under three weeks after the death of Osama bin Laden in an American raid on in the northwest city of Abbottabad, an event extremists have vowed to avenge.

The unilateral American raid triggered a strong backlash against Washington, which is trying to support Pakistan in its fight against militants, as well as rare domestic criticism against the armed forces the most powerful institution in the country for failing to detect or prevent the operation.

The attack began with at least three loud explosions heard by people who live around the naval base. It was unclear exactly what caused the explosions, but they set off raging fires that could be seen from far in the distance.

Authorities sent in several dozen navy and police commandos to battle the attackers, who responded with gunfire and grenades, said a senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. At least one airplane, a P-3C Orion, a maritime surveillance aircraft, was destroyed, another official said.

At least one media report said team of American technicians were working on the aircraft at the time of the strike, but U.S. Embassy spokesman Alberto Rodriguez said no Americans were on the base.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. But the Pakistani Taliban, an al-Qaida allied network which has previously launched attacks in Karachi, has pledged to retaliate for the death bin Laden, and has claimed responsibility for several bloody attacks since then.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack, saying such a "cowardly act of terror could not deter the commitment of the government and people of Pakistan to fight terrorism."

Pakistani security forces, which have received billions of dollars in American aid since 2001, have launched several operations against militants in their heartland close to the border with Afghanistan over the last three years. The militants have struck back against police and army targets around the country.

In October 2009, militants attacked the army headquarters close to the capital, Islamabad, and held dozens hostage in a 22-hour standoff that left 23 people dead, including nine militants.

Karachi, the country's largest city and its commercial hub, has not been spared.

In April, militants bombed three buses taking navy employees to work, killing at least nine people.

The Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups have little direct public support, but the army and the government have struggled to convince the people of the need for armed operations against them. The militants' identification with Islam, strong anti-American rhetoric and support for insurgents in Afghanistan resonates with some in the country.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/22/136556627/officials-militants-attack-pakistani-navy-base?ft=1&f=1004

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