May 22, 2011
Militants Attack Pakistani Naval Base in Karachi
By SALMAN MASOOD and DAVID E. SANGER
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A team of heavily armed insurgents stormed a major Pakistani naval base in the southern city of Karachi late Sunday night, setting off a prolonged gun battle with Pakistani security forces and, by some accounts, destroying an American-made aircraft at the base.
The attack, which continued well into Monday morning, was the most significant against a Pakistani military facility since the takeover in 2009 of parts of the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, near the Pakistani capital. But in this case the insurgents were reported to be well inside the naval base, where American-supplied P-3C patrol aircraft and Harpoon antiship missiles are located, according to a classified cable sent to the State Department in October 2009.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on Monday, saying it was to avenge the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden, Reuters reported. In recent weeks, Pakistani intelligence officials have said they were bracing for retaliatory attacks by militants sympathetic to Bin Laden.
Local television news networks broadcast images of an aircraft caught in flames and thick smoke billowing out of the naval base as staccato of gunfire echoed in the background. But from the images, it was hard to tell what kind of damage had been done.
According to a naval spokesman, at least 4 members of the navy, including an officer and a sailor, were killed in the attack by 10 to 15 gunmen.
The attack seemed well-coordinated and was bound to revive questions of how the militants penetrated Naval Station Mehran, which the Pakistanis contend is a highly secure and guarded naval installation, about six miles from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
While an important base, it is far from the most vital military installation in the teeming city. About 15 miles away, near the Masroor Air Base, Pakistan is believed to keep a large depot for nuclear weapons that can be delivered from the air. There were no reports of attacks there.
But the fact that insurgents got well inside the naval base is bound to reignite questions about Pakistani security, especially for its fast-growing nuclear arsenal, now believed to be around 100 weapons.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack on the base, and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered the interior minister, Rehman Malik, to immediately travel to Karachi and oversee efforts to oust or kill the attackers, who were still at large inside the base early Monday morning.
Both officials have been under extraordinary pressure since the killing of Bin Laden, largely because the American attack on the Bin Laden compound was not detected by Pakistan until the Navy Seal team that conducted it was already flying out of the country.
In a statement on Sunday night, Commodore Irfan ul-Haq, a Navy spokesman, said, "Special Services Group commandos and marine forces have surrounded the terrorists."
He said one navy aircraft had been damaged.
According to initial details, the aircraft was a P-3C Orion used as a maritime surveillance plane. The plane was provided to the Pakistan Navy by the United States in 2010.
Troops belonging to the Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary force, cordoned off the naval base as the attackers exchanged gunfire with Pakistan Navy commandos for more than three hours. The attackers breached the security around the base with automatic weapons, rockets and grenades around 10:40 p.m. Sunday.
Geo, the country's leading private television news network, reported that the attackers occupied one building inside the base and were holding several people hostage. However, there was no confirmation by the government officials that anyone was being held.
While Americans are frequently on the base, the Pentagon said none were present at the time of the attack.
Military installations in Karachi have been attacked before by militants affiliated with Taliban insurgents and Al Qaeda, and Pakistan's navy in particular has been attacked in recent months with roadside bombs aimed at navy buses.
Salman Masood reported from Islamabad, and David E. Sanger from Washington.