Attack on Karachi airport
June 9, 2014
Officials said the assault began just before midnight on Sunday when 10 gunmen wearing military uniforms shot their way into Jinnah International Airport. Multiple explosions were heard in the initial assault and a major fire broke out.
"They were well trained. Their plan was very well thought out," the chief minister of Sindh province, Qaim Ali Shah said.
Airport officials said all passengers had been evacuated from the facility and arriving flights had been diverted to other airports. No aircraft were damaged in the assault.
Taliban claim of responsibility
The Pakistani Taliban, an Islamist militant group, allied with but separate from Taliban militants active in neighboring Afghanistan, has claimed responsibility for the assault.
"It is a message to the Pakistan government that we are still alive to react over the killings of innocent people in bomb attacks on their villages," Shahidullah Shahid, a Taliban spokesman told the Reuters news agency.
AFP, though, cited the same spokesman who said they had launched the operation in revenge for one of their former leaders killed in a US drone strike late last year.
pfd/hc (AFP, Reuters, AP)