Gunmen stormed a Pakistan Air Force training base in northwest Pakistan on Saturday, damaging three aircraft on the ground, the military said. A group linked to the Pakistani Taliban claimed an attack.
The attack occurred in the town of Mianwali in northwestern Punjab province, a region where violence is rare.
In total, three men were killed before entering the base and three others were “captured/isolated,” according to an Army statement.
The Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), a new group allied with the Pakistani Taliban Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
This comes after fourteen Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack on a military convoy in the southern Balochistan province on Friday.
On the same day, a bomb blast on a police van killed six civilians and injured 21 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Northwest) province.
“Thanks to the rapid and effective response of the troops, the attack was thwarted and thwarted, ensuring the safety of personnel and assets,” the army said.
However, “three aircraft already on the ground and a fuel tank” were damaged, it added.
Pakistan has been facing deteriorating security for several months, especially since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021, especially in the border regions of Afghanistan.
Islamabad believes some of these attacks are planned from Afghan soil, something Kabul denies.
After the TTP abandoned a fragile ceasefire in November 2022, attacks increased, primarily targeting security forces, especially the police.