PAKISTAN: Four dead as militants attack airport in NW

Record ID: 353749

  • Title: PAKISTAN: Four dead as militants attack airport in NW
  • Date: 15th December 2012
  • Summary: BODY OF ONE MILITANT LYING IN POLICE TRUCK, TRUCK DRIVING OFF
  • Embargoed: 30th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Pakistan
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Reuters ID: LVAD42F9PB23QFZMI08JHZCIT7JY
  • Story Text: Four people were killed when militants attacked the airport in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Saturday (December 15) and traded gunfire with soldiers for more than 30 minutes before being repulsed, military and health officials said.
    Pakistan's army rushed reinforcements to the scene of the night attack, one of the most audacious raids by militants since an assault on an air base in the east of the country in August.
    A health official said at least 26 people had been wounded at the airport, which handles civilian and military traffic, and that at least three of the dead were militants.
    Pakistan's air force said a rocket attack had damaged the outer wall of the air field, which lies near a residential area and military barracks in Peshawar.
    Three rockets also hit a nearby residential area, a military official said.
    Hospital staff scrambled to treat wounded brought from the scene of the attack, where residents described hearing gunfire and explosions.
    "A blast occurred and I ran to my house. I saw my brother trapped under a collapsed wall. I pulled him out. I was unharmed until then. I rushed to save other people and when I was pulling them out of rubble, suddenly a second blast took place. I almost fainted after that," said injured man Shabbir Khan, who runs a shop near the site of the attack.
    Peshawar has witnessed many bomb attacks and shootings in recent years, but residents said it was the first time such a large attack had been staged on the airport.
    There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
    Pakistani militants have staged repeated high-profile attacks on military installations in major cities in recent years in their campaign against the government.
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