Taliban gunmen kill 17 in attack on Pakistan air force base

Taliban gunmen stormed a Pakistani Air Force base early on Friday, killing at least 17 people, a military spokesman said, the deadliest attack on a military installation this year.

Sixteen of the dead were killed in a mosque as they offered morning prayers, and a captain died leading the counter-attack against the raiders, 13 of whom were killed, Major General Asim Bajwa said on Twitter.

It was unclear if the 16 killed in the mosque at the Badaber air base in the northwestern city of Peshawar were civilians or military, he added.

“Terrorists entered camp at two points. Encounter began immediately,” Bajwa tweeted. The attackers “were contained within a close area. Meanwhile a group rushed to mosque, martyred 16 offering prayers.”

He posted pictures of bloodied bodies, most of them wearing black traditional Pakistani costume, known as shalwar khameez, and white running shoes.

Earlier, a military official at the base said six gunmen were killed in return fire from security guards as they tried to fight their way into the facility. “All the terrorists were wearing explosives-laden jackets and were armed with hand-propelled grenades, mortars, AK-47 rifles,” the official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.

Military officials were searching villages near the base, which is about 10 km (6 miles) south of the centre of Peshawar city, he added.