The PAF base attack

Friday morning began like any other morning – till reports of a terrorist attack on the Pakistan Air Force camp in the Badaber area in Peshawar shook us. TTP militants are reported to have broken into the PAF camp from two different entrances and attacked those offering prayers at a mosque inside the air force camp. Twenty-nine people, including an army captain, were martyred while 13 terrorists were killed by the latest count during the day. The military press office has claimed that a firefight occurred immediately as the terrorists entered the camp. The ISPR confirmed they were able to reach the mosque located within 50 meters of the attack which lasted over three hours, and was claimed by TTP spokesperson Muhammad Khorasani. The terrorists were reported to have been dressed in constabulary uniforms and wearing explosive-laden jackets. In response to the attack, the military launched a search operation; 15 people have already been arrested. The swift response of the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) mitigated the damage and all the attackers were reported to have been killed by the military team.
Luckily, the Badaber camp is no longer an operational air force base and is used as a PAF training camp. Following the attack, Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif met with the Peshawar corps commander and the air chief to reaffirm the commitment of the army to ending terrorism. Some news outlets reported that security agencies had revealed that a specific threat to the camp had been received over a week ago. This raises serious concerns over the ability of the state to preempt at source any attack on key facilities. The ISPR chief has pointed out in clear terms that the attack originated and was planned by a TTP splinter group inside Afghanistan and that issue will be raised forcefully at the appropriate level. It does, however, appear that law-enforcement agencies were much better prepared for this attack, which is shown by the confirmation that all the attackers were killed, unlike previous assaults on military and civilian installations where the attackers were able to escape without much loss. Given its location and the targeting of a military affiliated institution, the attack brought back memories of the horror of the Army Public School where 150 students were killed. That attack became a game-changer for the national resolve to eliminate terrorism of all kinds. The message sent by the Badaber camp attack is clear: the TTP is still strong enough to mount an organised attack on a key military installation. This must be responded to with a clear message: the resolve of the Pakistani people and military is stronger still. Our resolute commitment to the National Action Plan will continue to be tested in days like these.