Pakistan security and resolve of TTP
By Agha Iqrar Haroon
Islamabad: Pakistani security and resolve of TTP is become an important discussion in Islamabad and security experts who had already followed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacks on military installations believe that such successful, planned and resulted oriented attack on Karachi airport was not possible without the help of insiders and support of some staff members of security forces deployed at Karachi airport.
“Attacks on Kamra Air Base, General Headquarters (GHQ) of Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi, Mehran Base Karachi and now at Karachi Airport showed excellent planning, networking and resolve of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)”. accept senior retired security officials in capital of Pakistan
These circles also believe that release of top Taliban Commander Khirullah Khairkhwa along with four top Taliban leaders by US Army has made extremists extremely powerful in the region and they rightly believe that they can do anything against any body, anywhere and any time they wish to.
“Released Taliban are not simple commanders or Taliabs rather they are dreadful enemies of expected next President of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah and Pakistan Army. Pakistan should expect more dreadful events in the country”, fear security observers.
This attack again confirms TTP resolve that it can strike anywhere, anytime and anyone it deems fit to attack. TTP networking based on its ethnic linage of Pushtun is exceptional perfect because people from tribal areas are working at every corner of Pakistan particularly in big cities because tribal areas have no sources of income for youth of this area who usually move to cities for petty jobs as security guards, labourers, corn sellers etc etc.
MQM leader Altaf Hussian has been crying since long that Karachi has been given to terrorists. MQM circles openly accuse intelligence agencies to harbouring terrorists from KPK in Karachi to disbalance ethnic levels of city that is actually an Urdu speaking moderate educated city. Massive urbanisation from former N.W.F.P now called KPK province brought extremism, radicalism, hundreds of religious schools full of Afghans , drugs from Afghanistan and weapons in this once cosmopolitan city of Pakistan that was known as City of Lights. Now this city is known only for red lights of ambulances carrying dead bodies and injured to hospitals.
The whole saga indicates that security forces were fully marginalised by TTP workers at around 2,500 security personals were fighting with only 15 terrorists who kept managing destroying whatever they could around them. It looked terrorists were better trained then security forces and it was the reason that 2,500 security persons were trying hard to find and kill only 15 (some sources said 12) terrorists who played havoc on tarmac of Karachi Airport for more than 7 hours.
Pakistan Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Bajwa thought things were under control at early hours of June 9 but firing and blasts were heard till 10 am morning from inside airport.
Some local agencies tried to implicate Indian government into attack and informed media that weapons recovered by terrorists were Indian made. However Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) bravely accepted the responsibility of the attack shunning of these reports. Sources claim that Interior Ministry from Islamabad tried to plant this story if Indian involvement in attack as Interior Minister Ch. Nisar is busy in peace talks with TTP and he allegedly wished to paint a new scenario for media and tried to bail TTP from this attack.
Apparently attackers had used same strategy they opted in Kamra Air Base attack August 2012. Terrorists started attack around 2330 hours (Pakistan standard Time (PST) as this is prime time of landing of aircrafts from Gulf States. They worked in two groups in a same way they did in Kamra Air Base. They used RPG, suicide jackets, light and heavy weapons and brought food as they did in Kamra Air Base and Mehran Base attack.
What happen at Kamra Air Base?
Attack started around 02:00 local time (21:00 GMT on Wednesday) August 15, 2012. This was the third major attack by TTP on Military installations. Terrorists came from nearby villages. One aircraft was hit parked in the base just the attack started. The attackers initially fired rocket-propelled grenades from outside and then scaled a wall to get inside the base. PAF that time claimed that terrorists did not reach the hangars. Base commander Air Commodore Muhammad Azam was wounded but in a stable condition in hospital.
Minhas or known as Kamra Air Base is one of the biggest air bases in Pakistan where Pakistan assembles JF-17 planes – jointly developed with China. It is about 60km (35 miles) north-west of Islamabad.
Court martial against three low-ranking officials of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was reported in media for their negligence to prevent the terrorist attack on Minhas Airbase at Kamra in 2012. Senior aircraftman Shawaiz Khan, senior technician Zafar Iqbal and Corporal Technician Mirza Waseem Iqbal were formally arrested in connection with August 16, 2012, terror attack. Officials were indicted over charges of negligence.
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was a revenge of May 2011 secret US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in his Abbottabad compound.
This was actually second attack on Kamra Air Base. In 2009, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra. Two security officers and six other people were killed in the attack.
What happen at Mehran Base Karachi?
On May 23, 2011 Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with the alleged support of some employees of Pakistan attacked Naval Air Force Base Mehran Base in Karachi, killing at least 16 people – including 10 soldiers. TTP said attack was to avenge Osama Bin Laden’s killing by US Special Forces in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad on 2 May. Investigation indicated involvement of some lower ranking staff of forces including one civilian working in Geo television channel of Pakistan in this attack.
It took more than 15 hours for security forces to take control of the base. Two attackers were also killed and a third blew himself up. Unexploded suicide jacket and live grenades were found when the operation ended. TTP members cut through barbed wire at a place on the perimeter where they could not be detected by security cameras. Eyewitnesses claimed the attackers were dressed as naval officials and were aware of the security protocol at the base and carried themselves like soldiers. Their first targets were aircraft parked on the tarmac and equipment in nearby hangers. TTP used rocket-propelled grenades to damage and destroy warplanes. These included the Pakistan navy’s premier anti-submarine and marine surveillance aircraft – the US-made P-3C Orion.
The gunmen then opened indiscriminate fire, killing several naval personnel as they carried their raid into the heart of the base.
Navy commandos and marines launched a counter-assault and it took the security forces more than 15 hours to secure the base.
This attack was similar to a raid on October 10, 2009 in which Taliban militants laid siege to the army headquarters in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, killing dozens.
What Happened at GHQ attack?
The attack began in day light when 10 militants, wearing camouflaged army uniforms and armed with “sophisticated weapons”, attacked a checkpoint outside the gate of GHQ. TTP members arrived in a white van and attacked the compound with guns and hand grenades. During the attack, five militants and six soldiers were killed. The Army dead included a Brigadier and a Lieutenant Colonel. The attackers then took 42 hostages inside GHQ for around 0 hours in this exceptional attack on the General Headquarters of any army in the world.
13th Regular regiment and the SSG Division conducted operation inside GHQ. The first 20 military personnel and civilian hostages were rescued by the Army Special Forces, and 3 injured militants were captured. The SSG teams forward to remaining hostages to rescue them. The remaining hostages were later rescued by the Pakistan army’s Special Forces and the SSG Division. During the attack, four militants, two commandos, and three hostages (two civilians and one soldier) were killed. Three commandos later died of their injuries. One militant was captured; he was named as Mohammed Aqeel (alias Dr. Usman), and was said to be the leader of the group and the mastermind of the 3 March attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Aqeel was arrested in a building separate from the other militants, from whom five hostages were rescued. He had also tried to blow himself up and was injured in the process. Police raided a house at Dhok Awan, Model Town Humak where the militants had stayed, and arrested the owner, Azam Qazi, as well as the property dealer who rented the house to the attackers. Several sets of Pakistani Army uniforms, maps of sensitive locations, fuses and detonators used in explosives, material used in making suicide jackets, and several identity cards were found at the safe house. Two pairs of trousers, two jeans, and over 10 pairs of Shalwar Kameez and slippers were also found. Evidence showed that at least 10 people were present at the house before the attack.
A Tehrik-e-Taliban (Amjad Farooqi Group) claimed responsibility for the attack. Impartial investigation of this event indicated that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was working with TTP in this attack. According to ISPR, the attack was planned in South Waziristan, and 5 out of the 10 attackers belonged to Baitullah Meshud’s group.
