Attack on PNS Mehran Base - PAF Faisal Base

[monitor]

thats mean you have only 1 operational orion at this moment .

 

[Najam Khan]

NSSG COmmando

 

[Najam Khan]

A soldier poses with the victory sign outside a major Pakistani naval air base following an attack by militants in Karachi on May 23, 2011. Pakistan on May 23 regained control of a naval base in the country's biggest city, 17 hours after heavily armed Taliban gunmen attacked, destroying two US-made surveillance planes and killing 10 personnel. It was the worst assault on a military base since the army headquarters was besieged in October 2009, piling further embarrassment on the armed forces three weeks after Osama bin Laden was found living under their noses.

Pakistani soldiers arrive for an operation against militants at a major Pakistani naval air base following an attack by militants in Karachi on May 23, 2011. Taliban gunmen armed with rockets and explosives stormed a major naval air base in the heart of Pakistan's biggest city, destroying two US-made surveillance aircraft and killing 12 personnel. I

 

[monitor]

Pakistan’s paradox
May 24,2011

By CHRIS ALLBRITTON

An attack on a Pakistani naval air force base on Sunday night heaped further humiliation on a military already stunned by the killing of Osama Bin Laden on its territory, and raised further doubts about Pakistan’s ability to confront militancy.


The brazen assault on the headquarters of the naval air wing in Karachi fueled fears about the Taleban’s growing capacity to stage attacks and the military’s shrinking ability to control extremists — both inside and outside its own ranks.

“It’s a complicated situation, a paradox,” said Kamran Bokhari, Middle East and South Asia director for global intelligence firm STRATFOR.

“On the one hand, you’ve got elements within the security establishment that are helping the militants and at the same time, the militants are attacking that same security establishment.” Pakistan’s military has been on the back foot since US special forces killed Al-Qaeda leader Bin Laden on May 2, unable to explain either why they had been unable to catch the world’s most wanted man themselves nor why the Americans could launch a raid deep into their territory undetected.

The Pakistani Taleban, however, are on a roll. Their spokesmen promised to sow chaos and avenge the killing of Bin Laden. Sunday’s spectacular attack in Karachi shows that they are making good on their promises.

The attacks are likely to further deepen the United States concerns and suspicions about Pakistan as a reliable partner in its war against militancy, with no clear answer to the question of whether the Pakistan military is incompetent in fighting militants or complicit with them. STRATFOR’s Bokhari said it was obvious that Sunday’s attackers had inside help, suggesting that elements of the military, at least, are turning against the state as it comes under unprecedented pressure to roll up the militant networks. “It is not possible for people with no familiarity with the military establishment to be able to carry out such an attack. Like in Rawalpindi, the militants had inside facilitators who provided access,” he said.

In October 2009, a similarly small raiding party of Pakistani Taleban attacked the Army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, taking 42 people hostage, including several senior and junior officers. By the end of the day-long ordeal, nine gunmen, 11 soldiers and three hostages were dead.

As far back as 2006, the Pakistani military had to deal with extremist sympathizers in its ranks, with a leaked US State Department cable revealing monthly reports of “acts of petty sabotage” to Pakistan’s fleet of F-16s in an attempt to keep them from being deployed in support of operations in Pakistan’s tribal badlands to the northwest. And the biggest question of complicity or sympathy with militants is the case of Bin Laden, who lived for years in the shadow of the Pakistan Military Academy in Abbottabad. Suspicions abound that he had help from a network of sympathizers who may have been either retired or serving military officers.

Pakistan’s powerful military intelligence agency has long cultivated ties with the Haqqani network, the violent faction based in North Waziristan, in its lawless tribal belt, that Washington blames for fueling the insurgency across the border in eastern Afghanistan.

“This attack must be a wake up call for the government, particularly the military, who apparently has indulged in little cost benefit analysis about its relations with the Haqqani network,” said Imtiaz Gul, the author of “The Most Dangerous Place” a book on Pakistan’s lawless frontiers.

Gul says the Pakistani military believes that Haqqani network “doesn’t touch us, therefore, we don’t touch them.” However, he said, the Haqqani network harbors militants attacking the state.

“If the government and military find incriminating evidence that connects the attacks with militants hiding in North Waziristan” — where the United States has been demanding an offensive against the Haqqanis — “I hope they will swiftly move to neutralize those elements,” he said. That’s unlikely, Bokhari says. He expects an intensification in offensives, but not in North Waziristan, because “the military don’t want to make more enemies than they already have,” and “don’t want to be seen as doing the US’s bidding.” As for the civilian government, it looks like it is missing yet another opportunity to take advantage of the weakened position of the military.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has called an “emergency” meeting of the Defense Committee, but there’s little sense of urgency. The meeting is on Wednesday, fully two days after the showdown in Karachi. The civilians missed a similar opportunity after the Bin Laden raid to bring the military, which controls foreign policy and national security, to heel.
Courtesy: Arab News

 

[Najam Khan]

 

[Geronimo2011]

I think that's far fetched. Orions are sea warfare aircraft. Why target them?

It's unlikely anyone in Pakistan owns a submarine.

But there are enough within Pakistan (and probably Pakistan army) who want to see the current govt and military leadership humiliated.. What better way than take out some of the prized assets of that military.. btw, an Orion is much more expensive than a F 16 or any other air asset, with probably the exception of the AEWs

 

[ramu]

When people pick targets with careful planning, they usually will plan whether to attack a naval base or a land base. Don't be so naive.

OK smart one... You know what the intent of the terrorists were... they wanted to take out the aircrafts but let me ask you, given this is a defence base and is one of the most gaurded and fortified one, why did Pakistan army take so long and why could they not catch atleast one alive ? Why ?

The number of terrorists were less than 5 is what is claimed as against initial reportes of 10-15-20-25. Are 5 so difficult to handle in a Pakistani Military base ?

Why were they not neutralised earlier or taken one alive ?

 

[roadrunner]

But there are enough within Pakistan (and probably Pakistan army) who want to see the current govt and military leadership humiliated.. What better way than take out some of the prized assets of that military.. btw, an Orion is much more expensive than a F 16 or any other air asset, with probably the exception of the AEWs

If people are after prestige then Masroor Airbase would be it. Or Kahuta.

But humiliation is unlikely to figure because they'd be accepting that the airforce bases are too difficult to attack.

 

[LEGENDARY WARRIOR]

OK smart one... You know what the intent of the terrorists were... they wanted to take out the aircrafts but let me ask you, given this is a defence base and is one of the most gaurded and fortified one, why did Pakistan army take so long and why could they not catch atleast one alive ? Why ?

The number of terrorists were less than 5 is what is claimed as against initial reportes of 10-15-20-25. Are 5 so difficult to handle in a Pakistani Military base ?

Why were they not neutralised earlier or taken one alive ?

OO helloo!! They were not 5. They were about 11 to 12. . Unlike Mumbai attacks; these terrorists committed suicide by shooting themselves, when they knew they were short of ammo. .

 

[roadrunner]

OK smart one... You know what the intent of the terrorists were... they wanted to take out the aircrafts but let me ask you, given this is a defence base and is one of the most gaurded and fortified one, why did Pakistan army take so long and why could they not catch atleast one alive ? Why ?

The number of terrorists were less than 5 is what is claimed as against initial reportes of 10-15-20-25. Are 5 so difficult to handle in a Pakistani Military base ?

Why were they not neutralised earlier or taken one alive ?

There's no rush.

 

[ramu]

OO helloo!! They were not 5. They were about 11 to 12. . Unlike Mumbai attacks; these terrorists committed suicide by shooting themselves, when they knew they were short of ammo. .

How many were killed , How many escaped ?

 

[LEGENDARY WARRIOR]

How many were killed , How many escaped ?

according to my knowledge; 2 of them committed suicide, 2 escaped and rest of them were killed by Security Forces. .

 

[Najam Khan]

How many were killed , How many escaped ?

4 killed, 2 escaped. Thats Rehamn Malik's count. (no comment)

 

[LEGENDARY WARRIOR]

4 killed, 2 escaped. Thats Rehamn Malik's count. (no comment)

Rehman Malik is the world's biggest j@cK @$$

 

[ramu]

according to my knowledge; 2 of them committed suicide, 2 escaped and rest of them were killed by Security Forces. .

That still makes it 6. 2 + 2 + rest (2 according to Rehman Malik) = 6 So how is it 11 or 12. And you are not even sure it is 11 or 12.