Fourth terror attack on Kamra since 2007
August 17, 2012
LAHORE: Named after Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas (Nishan-e-Haider), the famous martyr of the 1971 war with India, the Minhas or Kamra Air base at District Attock has now suffered four eyebrow-raising terrorist attacks since December 10, 2007.
This active PAF base is home to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex that assembles Mirage and JF-17 fighter jets.
On December 10, 2007, a PAF employees’ bus carrying school-going children was attacked by a suicide bomber near the Fauji gate outside the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra, injuring seven.
On January 18, 2008, four rockets were fired at short intervals at this facility. Two of these rockets had hit the Mirage Rebuild Factory in the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.
Luckily, no casualties were reported in this terror attack.
On October 23, 2009, a suicide bomber had killed eight people in an attack on a check post outside this base.
And now on August 16, 2012 (Thursday), terrorists again went on a killing spree at this vital Pakistan Air Force installation, killing at least eight militants and a security official in a counter operation that reportedly lasted over five hours.
Although terrorism in Pakistan is rampant since 2001, attacks on country’s key defence personnel and installations have been witnessed more often since December 14, 2003, when the then President and Army Chief, General Pervez Musharraf, had narrowly survived an assassination attempt for the first time—-when a powerful bomb had blown off just a couple of minutes after his highly-guarded convoy had driven past a bridge in the garrison town of Rawalpindi.
In this particular attack, Musharraf was apparently saved by a jamming device in his limousine that prevented the remote controlled explosives from blowing up the bridge on his route. Here follows the list of other major attacks on Pakistani defence forces and their key installations (excluding dozens of similar hits on police, FIA, CID and the routine attacks on the Pakistan Army/Frontier Constabulary in the war zones of Kyber Pakhtoonkhwa province):
On December 25, 2003, Musharraf survived yet another major attempt on his life, just 11 days after the first one.
While Musharraf’s luck managed to defeat the attackers, 16 others lost their lives in this incident.
Militant Amjad Farooqi was suspected as being the brain behind these attacks. Farooqi was reportedly killed by Pakistan Army in 2004.
On June 10, 2004, a convoy carrying the then Karachi corps commander, Lt Gen Ahsan Saleem Hyat, was attacked in the port city.
Not fewer than 11 people had lost their lives in this attack. The corps commander, who escaped unhurt, later became the vice chief of army staff under General Pervez Musharraf.
On September 4, 2007, at least 25 people were killed and 66 injured in two suicide bomb blasts in Rawalpindi cantonment’s high security area. The first blast took place near Qasim Market where a Defence Ministry bus carrying around 38 civilians and uniformed officials was hit, killing 18 people. Five minutes later, a second blast took place near RA Bazaar, behind General Headquarters. The blast was caused by explosives fixed to a motorcycle, which blew up killing seven people on the spot.
On December 10, 2007, a PAF employees’ bus carrying school-going children was attacked by a suicide bomber near the Fauji gate outside the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra, injuring seven.
On January 18, 2008, four rockets were fired at short intervals at this facility. Two of these rockets had hit the Mirage Rebuild Factory in the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. No casualties were reported in this terror attack.
On February 4, 2008, at least 10 people were killed and 27 others injured, when a suicide bomber crashed his bike into an armed forces bus carrying students and officials of Army Medical College, near the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
On February 25, 2008, Pakistan Army’s top medic Lt Gen Mushtaq Baig was killed, along with the driver and security guard, in a suicide attack near Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. At least 5 other passersby were also killed and 20 injured in the incident. Gen Baig was the highest-ranking officer to be killed in Pakistan since the 9/11 attacks.
On March 4, 2008, eight persons were killed and 24 others injured when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the parking area of the Pakistan Navy War College located in Lahore.
On May 18, 2008, a bomb attack targeting the Army’s Punjab Regimental Centre market in the city of Mardan killed at least 13 people, including four soldiers and injured more than 20.
On August 12, 2008, a bomb targeting a Pakistani Air Force bus carrying personnel from a military base killed 13 people and wounded 11 others on Tuesday on a major road near the centre of Peshawar.
On August 21, 2008, at least 70 people were killed and 67 others injured when two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the gates of the state run Pakistan Ordnance Factories, Wah Cantonment.
On November 19, 2008, a former head of the army’s elite commando force Special Service Group, Maj-Gen (R) Ameer Faisal Alavi, and his driver were gunned down near Islamabad. Alvi, who commanded the SSG during the first major assault on militants in Angoor Ada in South Waziristan in 2004, was killed near his home while driving to work on Islamabad Highway near the PWD Housing Society in the Koral police precinct
On April 4, 2009, a suicide bomber struck a camp of the Frontier Constabulary at Margalla Road in Islamabad, killing at least eight FC personnel and a civilian, besides the attacker himself, and injuring 12 others.
On May 27, 2009, suicide bombers detonated a vehicle loaded with 100 kilograms of explosives near offices of the capital city police officer and the Inter-Services Intelligence in Lahore, killing at least 27 people and wounding 326, in addition to destroying a two-story building of the Rescue 15 police service.
On July 2, 2009, at least 36 persons were injured, some critically, when a lone suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into a bus carrying employees of the Army-run Heavy Mechanical Complex at the Peshawar Road near Chur Chowk in Rawalpindi.
On September 26, 2009, a military-owned commercial bank was attacked in Peshawar cantonment, killing around a dozen people.
Between October 10 and 11, 2009, a total of 22 people including six soldiers, five SSG commandos, three hostages and eight gunmen were killed in an attack on Pakistan Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
At least nine militants in military uniforms had stormed the GHQ, killed a total of six soldiers including a brigadier and a lieutenant-colonel, and took a total 56 people hostage. They were demanding the release of some of their fellow fighters in exchange for the hostages. Nine of the hostages later escaped. Later a successful operation was conducted early next day by the SSG to free all the hostages, in the process of which four terrorists were killed, with the ring leader Mohammed Aqeel arrested, and five commandos and three hostages also losing their lives. A total of 44 hostages were rescued, which included officers, soldiers and civilian employees.
On October 22, 2009, a serving Army brigadier, Moinuddin Ahmad, and his driver were gunned down in Islamabad.
On October 23, 2009, a suicide bomber had killed eight people in an attack on a check post outside this base.
On October 27, 2009, another Army Brigadier Waqar Ahmad, was killed by two gunmen in Islamabad.
On November 13, 2009, at least 17 people - 10 military personnel and three civilians - were killed and 60 injured when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a military check-post in front of the regional headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence in Peshawar.
On December 2, 2009, three naval personnel were killed and nine other people injured in an abortive suicide attack on the Pakistan Naval Complex in Islamabad.
On December 4, 2009, at least 40 people were killed and over 86 injured when terrorists attacked a Friday congregation at the Parade Lane Askari mosque in Rawalpindi Cantonment. Besides 17 children, an army major general, a brigadier, two lieutenant colonels, a major and a number of soldiers were among those killed in the multi-pronged attack.
On December 8, 2009, a pick-up truck packed with explosives blew up near an office of the Inter-Services Intelligence in the Cantonment area of Multan, killing 12 people and injuring 47.
On August 4, 2010, at least 5 people were killed and 12 others were reportedly injured after a suicide bomber targeted a paramilitary police headquarters in Peshawar. The Chief of Pakistan’s Frontier Constabulary, Siffwat Ghayur, was amongst those killed in this particular attack.
On May 22, 2011, the Mehran Naval Station at Karachi was attacked. Militants killed at least 9 people and destroyed 2 Pakistani P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft.
And just recently on August 16, 2012 (yesterday), terrorists went on a killing spree at the PAF Kamra Air Base in Attock District, killing at least eight militants and a security official.
This active PAF base is home to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex that assembles Mirage and JF-17 fighter jets.
On December 10, 2007, a PAF employees’ bus carrying school-going children was attacked by a suicide bomber near the Fauji gate outside the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra, injuring seven.
On January 18, 2008, four rockets were fired at short intervals at this facility. Two of these rockets had hit the Mirage Rebuild Factory in the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.
Luckily, no casualties were reported in this terror attack.
On October 23, 2009, a suicide bomber had killed eight people in an attack on a check post outside this base.
And now on August 16, 2012 (Thursday), terrorists again went on a killing spree at this vital Pakistan Air Force installation, killing at least eight militants and a security official in a counter operation that reportedly lasted over five hours.
Although terrorism in Pakistan is rampant since 2001, attacks on country’s key defence personnel and installations have been witnessed more often since December 14, 2003, when the then President and Army Chief, General Pervez Musharraf, had narrowly survived an assassination attempt for the first time—-when a powerful bomb had blown off just a couple of minutes after his highly-guarded convoy had driven past a bridge in the garrison town of Rawalpindi.
In this particular attack, Musharraf was apparently saved by a jamming device in his limousine that prevented the remote controlled explosives from blowing up the bridge on his route. Here follows the list of other major attacks on Pakistani defence forces and their key installations (excluding dozens of similar hits on police, FIA, CID and the routine attacks on the Pakistan Army/Frontier Constabulary in the war zones of Kyber Pakhtoonkhwa province):
On December 25, 2003, Musharraf survived yet another major attempt on his life, just 11 days after the first one.
While Musharraf’s luck managed to defeat the attackers, 16 others lost their lives in this incident.
Militant Amjad Farooqi was suspected as being the brain behind these attacks. Farooqi was reportedly killed by Pakistan Army in 2004.
On June 10, 2004, a convoy carrying the then Karachi corps commander, Lt Gen Ahsan Saleem Hyat, was attacked in the port city.
Not fewer than 11 people had lost their lives in this attack. The corps commander, who escaped unhurt, later became the vice chief of army staff under General Pervez Musharraf.
On September 4, 2007, at least 25 people were killed and 66 injured in two suicide bomb blasts in Rawalpindi cantonment’s high security area. The first blast took place near Qasim Market where a Defence Ministry bus carrying around 38 civilians and uniformed officials was hit, killing 18 people. Five minutes later, a second blast took place near RA Bazaar, behind General Headquarters. The blast was caused by explosives fixed to a motorcycle, which blew up killing seven people on the spot.
On December 10, 2007, a PAF employees’ bus carrying school-going children was attacked by a suicide bomber near the Fauji gate outside the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra, injuring seven.
On January 18, 2008, four rockets were fired at short intervals at this facility. Two of these rockets had hit the Mirage Rebuild Factory in the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. No casualties were reported in this terror attack.
On February 4, 2008, at least 10 people were killed and 27 others injured, when a suicide bomber crashed his bike into an armed forces bus carrying students and officials of Army Medical College, near the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
On February 25, 2008, Pakistan Army’s top medic Lt Gen Mushtaq Baig was killed, along with the driver and security guard, in a suicide attack near Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. At least 5 other passersby were also killed and 20 injured in the incident. Gen Baig was the highest-ranking officer to be killed in Pakistan since the 9/11 attacks.
On March 4, 2008, eight persons were killed and 24 others injured when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the parking area of the Pakistan Navy War College located in Lahore.
On May 18, 2008, a bomb attack targeting the Army’s Punjab Regimental Centre market in the city of Mardan killed at least 13 people, including four soldiers and injured more than 20.
On August 12, 2008, a bomb targeting a Pakistani Air Force bus carrying personnel from a military base killed 13 people and wounded 11 others on Tuesday on a major road near the centre of Peshawar.
On August 21, 2008, at least 70 people were killed and 67 others injured when two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the gates of the state run Pakistan Ordnance Factories, Wah Cantonment.
On November 19, 2008, a former head of the army’s elite commando force Special Service Group, Maj-Gen (R) Ameer Faisal Alavi, and his driver were gunned down near Islamabad. Alvi, who commanded the SSG during the first major assault on militants in Angoor Ada in South Waziristan in 2004, was killed near his home while driving to work on Islamabad Highway near the PWD Housing Society in the Koral police precinct
On April 4, 2009, a suicide bomber struck a camp of the Frontier Constabulary at Margalla Road in Islamabad, killing at least eight FC personnel and a civilian, besides the attacker himself, and injuring 12 others.
On May 27, 2009, suicide bombers detonated a vehicle loaded with 100 kilograms of explosives near offices of the capital city police officer and the Inter-Services Intelligence in Lahore, killing at least 27 people and wounding 326, in addition to destroying a two-story building of the Rescue 15 police service.
On July 2, 2009, at least 36 persons were injured, some critically, when a lone suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into a bus carrying employees of the Army-run Heavy Mechanical Complex at the Peshawar Road near Chur Chowk in Rawalpindi.
On September 26, 2009, a military-owned commercial bank was attacked in Peshawar cantonment, killing around a dozen people.
Between October 10 and 11, 2009, a total of 22 people including six soldiers, five SSG commandos, three hostages and eight gunmen were killed in an attack on Pakistan Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
At least nine militants in military uniforms had stormed the GHQ, killed a total of six soldiers including a brigadier and a lieutenant-colonel, and took a total 56 people hostage. They were demanding the release of some of their fellow fighters in exchange for the hostages. Nine of the hostages later escaped. Later a successful operation was conducted early next day by the SSG to free all the hostages, in the process of which four terrorists were killed, with the ring leader Mohammed Aqeel arrested, and five commandos and three hostages also losing their lives. A total of 44 hostages were rescued, which included officers, soldiers and civilian employees.
On October 22, 2009, a serving Army brigadier, Moinuddin Ahmad, and his driver were gunned down in Islamabad.
On October 23, 2009, a suicide bomber had killed eight people in an attack on a check post outside this base.
On October 27, 2009, another Army Brigadier Waqar Ahmad, was killed by two gunmen in Islamabad.
On November 13, 2009, at least 17 people - 10 military personnel and three civilians - were killed and 60 injured when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a military check-post in front of the regional headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence in Peshawar.
On December 2, 2009, three naval personnel were killed and nine other people injured in an abortive suicide attack on the Pakistan Naval Complex in Islamabad.
On December 4, 2009, at least 40 people were killed and over 86 injured when terrorists attacked a Friday congregation at the Parade Lane Askari mosque in Rawalpindi Cantonment. Besides 17 children, an army major general, a brigadier, two lieutenant colonels, a major and a number of soldiers were among those killed in the multi-pronged attack.
On December 8, 2009, a pick-up truck packed with explosives blew up near an office of the Inter-Services Intelligence in the Cantonment area of Multan, killing 12 people and injuring 47.
On August 4, 2010, at least 5 people were killed and 12 others were reportedly injured after a suicide bomber targeted a paramilitary police headquarters in Peshawar. The Chief of Pakistan’s Frontier Constabulary, Siffwat Ghayur, was amongst those killed in this particular attack.
On May 22, 2011, the Mehran Naval Station at Karachi was attacked. Militants killed at least 9 people and destroyed 2 Pakistani P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft.
And just recently on August 16, 2012 (yesterday), terrorists went on a killing spree at the PAF Kamra Air Base in Attock District, killing at least eight militants and a security official.
