A group of armed militants stormed a Pakistan Air Force camp in the Badaber area of Peshawar on September 18. At least 29 soldiers and civilians died in the attack, including 16 worshippers in a mosque. All 13 of the attackers were also killed.
The assailants belonging to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) tried to break deep into the base, but the security forces reacted quickly, surrounding and confining them in a small area. The government and the armed forces say major loss was averted, but the attack shows terrorism still poses a significant threat to the country’s security.
The terrorists were in constabulary uniform and entered the camp at two points, splitting into subgroups, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. One of the groups headed for the mosque and killed 16 worshippers while they were offering their Fajr prayers.
At least 22 of those who lost their lives were serving in the PAF. Four civilians and three army soldiers were also among the dead. More than 24 people were injured.
The TTP’s propaganda wing continued to send out updates during the attack, and their spokesman Muhammad Khurassani sent emails to reporters claiming responsibility for the attack.
It was the worst attack of its kind since the December 2014 carnage in which Taliban stormed the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar and massacred around 150 children and their teachers. Both the attacks were planned by Taliban commander Khalifa Omar Mansoor.
In February, militants attacked an Imambargah in the Hayatabad area of Peshawar, leaving 21 worshippers dead.
There have been no other large-scale terrorist attacks in the city and in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province apart from the one in February, but there has been a surge in assassinations of policemen, politicians, tribal elders and members of pro-government tribal militias in the Pashtun heartland. The TTP usually claims such attacks.
The reduction in major terrorist attacks is linked to the military operation Zarb-e-Azb, which was launched in June 2014 to target TTP and other local and foreign militant outfits in North Waziristan. According to the government, more than 3,000 militants have been killed during the offensive so far and the militants are on the run.
“Due to military operations, the overall violence has been reduced and militancy has been weakened, but it has not disappeared,” Defense Analyst Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi says. He says Zarb-e-Azb and other operations have hurt the Taliban, but more efforts are needed for their complete eradication.
The Taliban cannot hit their targets without support in urban areas, says Dr Rizvi, and it is time to trace their sympathizers and supporters in settled areas. “In this regard, action should be taken against individuals, groups and organizations without any discrimination,” he says.
Veteran journalist Rahimullah Yousafzai says the TTP has changed its strategy. Instead of engaging the military in battles, its fighters prefer fleeing to safer places. “Despite losing control over their bases and training camps in North Waziristan and other tribal areas, the militants still have adequate human resources for their missions,” he says. “But now it takes them longer to plan and execute an attack.” Recruitment has become a challenge for them, he says, because they do not have boot camps for the indoctrination and training of young fighters.
Soon after the incident, the military said the Badaber camp attack was orchestrated from Afghanistan. “The operation was carried out by a splinter group of TTP. The attackers came from Afghanistan, and the attack was planned, executed and controlled from Afghanistan,” Gen Asim Bajwa, the director-general of ISPR, said during a press conference in Peshawar. “No one can say that the Afghan government is behind this, but the fact is that it was launched from Afghanistan.”
The statement, followed by harsher ones by Defense Minister Khwaja Asif, signals the already tense ties between Islamabad and Kabul may be worsening.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan strongly rejects the claims as baseless that yesterday’s attack in Peshawar was planned and controlled from Afghanistan,” a statement from Afghan Presidency said. Kabul “reiterates that it has never nor will it ever allow its territory to be used against other states”. The Afghan government called for “joint and sincere efforts” to eliminate terrorism to ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region.
“It has now become a tradition that Islamabad and Kabul blame each other when a terrorist attack takes place on their soil,” says Hasan Khan, the group editor of Akhbar-e-Khyber. He says militants from both sides use the ungoverned border areas between the two countries for their activities. “Instead of blaming each other, the two neighbors should start coordinated efforts to curb militancy on both sides of the border,” he says. “If Islamabad-Kabul relations are strained, it will benefit the militants on either sides. The blame game also creates resentment and mistrust between the people of the two countries.”
Tahir Ali is an Islamabad-based journalist
Twitter: @tahirafghan
The assailants belonging to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) tried to break deep into the base, but the security forces reacted quickly, surrounding and confining them in a small area. The government and the armed forces say major loss was averted, but the attack shows terrorism still poses a significant threat to the country’s security.
The terrorists were in constabulary uniform and entered the camp at two points, splitting into subgroups, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. One of the groups headed for the mosque and killed 16 worshippers while they were offering their Fajr prayers.
The TTP's propaganda wing continued to send out updates during the attack
At least 22 of those who lost their lives were serving in the PAF. Four civilians and three army soldiers were also among the dead. More than 24 people were injured.
The TTP’s propaganda wing continued to send out updates during the attack, and their spokesman Muhammad Khurassani sent emails to reporters claiming responsibility for the attack.
It was the worst attack of its kind since the December 2014 carnage in which Taliban stormed the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar and massacred around 150 children and their teachers. Both the attacks were planned by Taliban commander Khalifa Omar Mansoor.
In February, militants attacked an Imambargah in the Hayatabad area of Peshawar, leaving 21 worshippers dead.
There have been no other large-scale terrorist attacks in the city and in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province apart from the one in February, but there has been a surge in assassinations of policemen, politicians, tribal elders and members of pro-government tribal militias in the Pashtun heartland. The TTP usually claims such attacks.
The reduction in major terrorist attacks is linked to the military operation Zarb-e-Azb, which was launched in June 2014 to target TTP and other local and foreign militant outfits in North Waziristan. According to the government, more than 3,000 militants have been killed during the offensive so far and the militants are on the run.
“Due to military operations, the overall violence has been reduced and militancy has been weakened, but it has not disappeared,” Defense Analyst Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi says. He says Zarb-e-Azb and other operations have hurt the Taliban, but more efforts are needed for their complete eradication.
The Taliban cannot hit their targets without support in urban areas, says Dr Rizvi, and it is time to trace their sympathizers and supporters in settled areas. “In this regard, action should be taken against individuals, groups and organizations without any discrimination,” he says.
It takes longer to plan and execute attacks because they do not have boot camps for indoctrination and training
Veteran journalist Rahimullah Yousafzai says the TTP has changed its strategy. Instead of engaging the military in battles, its fighters prefer fleeing to safer places. “Despite losing control over their bases and training camps in North Waziristan and other tribal areas, the militants still have adequate human resources for their missions,” he says. “But now it takes them longer to plan and execute an attack.” Recruitment has become a challenge for them, he says, because they do not have boot camps for the indoctrination and training of young fighters.
Soon after the incident, the military said the Badaber camp attack was orchestrated from Afghanistan. “The operation was carried out by a splinter group of TTP. The attackers came from Afghanistan, and the attack was planned, executed and controlled from Afghanistan,” Gen Asim Bajwa, the director-general of ISPR, said during a press conference in Peshawar. “No one can say that the Afghan government is behind this, but the fact is that it was launched from Afghanistan.”
The statement, followed by harsher ones by Defense Minister Khwaja Asif, signals the already tense ties between Islamabad and Kabul may be worsening.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan strongly rejects the claims as baseless that yesterday’s attack in Peshawar was planned and controlled from Afghanistan,” a statement from Afghan Presidency said. Kabul “reiterates that it has never nor will it ever allow its territory to be used against other states”. The Afghan government called for “joint and sincere efforts” to eliminate terrorism to ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the region.
“It has now become a tradition that Islamabad and Kabul blame each other when a terrorist attack takes place on their soil,” says Hasan Khan, the group editor of Akhbar-e-Khyber. He says militants from both sides use the ungoverned border areas between the two countries for their activities. “Instead of blaming each other, the two neighbors should start coordinated efforts to curb militancy on both sides of the border,” he says. “If Islamabad-Kabul relations are strained, it will benefit the militants on either sides. The blame game also creates resentment and mistrust between the people of the two countries.”
Tahir Ali is an Islamabad-based journalist
Twitter: @tahirafghan