Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said major areas of a naval air base in Karachi that were attacked by Al-Qaeeda & Taliban guerrillas have been cleared, with “some pockets”.

About 22  terrorists attacked the base last night with rockets and grenades and waged a gun battle with commandos that the Taliban said was revenge for Osama bin Laden’s killing and thePakistangovernment’s ties with the U.S. Malik spoke to reporters as he entered the complex inPakistan’s biggest city Karachi.

“This attack shows that the terrorists have sympathizers and insiders in the security establishment,” said Talat Masood, a retired army Lieutenant General and security analyst inIslamabad. “This also shows that they have become more powerful and sophisticated in their planning and attacks.”

The insurgents damaged surveillance aircraft provided by the U.S.in the biggest strike against a leading Pakistani military installation since guerrillas attacked the army’s Rawalpindi Headquarters in October 2009. Eleven Pakistani navy personnel and two paramilitary soldiers were killed, Irfan –Ul- Haq, a navy spokesman, said by phone fromIslamabad.

Pakistani Taliban had pledged to attack government and military installations after U.S forces killed al-Qaeda leader bin Laden in a raid in Abbottabad, 30 miles (50 kilometers) north ofIslamabad, on May 2. The American raid exacerbated tensions between the two countries, as the U.S questioned whether Pakistani officials had protected Bin Laden andPakistanprotested the violation  of  its territory.

“Fifteen of our fighters entered the naval air base and we don’t expect them to return,” Ehsanullah Ehsan, a spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban ( Terrorists group of Pakistan known as Sipah-e-Sahabah & Lashker-e-Jhangvi) in Pakistan, said by telephone from an undisclosed location, they are there to kill.

Prof Dr. Syed Akbar Abbas said that why and how these terrorists have entered from three diffrent places. Three gates of entry? who allowed them to enter? He said that our main issue with Punjab Government is very clear, that why you are supporting these terrorists and have teken them in Politics as well as in Ministries. With your support they are united in Punjab and now they are active to fail the present goverment of Peoples Party in Centre ? They are spreaded in Karachi against MQM and have given open hands to kill any one to whom they feel fit to be killed.

These terrorists are the sons of darkness and begotted by Late Gen. Zia-ul-Haque in Pakistan. He produced these sons of wickedness through thousands of illitrate Madrissas those were financially paid and supported by Saudi Arabia said by the chief of this  Institute of Investicative Journalism.

Last night’s attack began with several explosions at the Mehran naval base around 11 p.m., followed by gunfire. Malik said that militants had entered the base through three entrances.

Pakistan’s benchmark Karachi Stock Exchange 100 index, which has risen 23 percent this fiscal year, was unchanged at 11,977.70 at 11:40 a.m. local time. The Pakistani rupee, which has fallen 0.5 percent since July 1, rose 0.3 percent to 85.93 against the dollar.

Two P-3C Orions, a maritime surveillance Aircraft, were targeted and damaged in the attack, Haq said. The U.S handed over the aircraft toPakistannavy in April 2010 and said it will give a total of eight by 2012, according to the U.S. Central Command website.

Pakistan’s Naval Air Unit, including the U.S.-supplied Orion aircraft, has been providing “Air Surveillance” to prevent any sea borne intrusions of al-Qaeda and to detect any terrorist plans for attacks on ships bringing supplies for the NATO forces inAfghanistan,” Raman wrote in an e-mailed analysis.

Trucks carrying soldiers entered the base soon after the attack began. Flames and black smoke rose into the air and dozens of ambulances waited outside the base. “Our troops are proceeding slowly and carefully,” Haq said by phone.

Tensions between U.S and Pakistanhave escalated with American officials saying they were worried thatPakistan’s intelligence agency maintains ties to guerrillas fighting American-led forces inAfghanistan. The U.S military says its war against the Taliban is hindered byPakistan’s failure to shut down militant havens.

Pakistan’s leaders have rejected accusations they are not doing enough to defeat insurgents. The army’s offensives against the local Taliban movement and allied guerrillas have triggered retaliatory bombings and gun battles in cities nationwide that the government says have killed thousands of Pakistani citizens and security personnel.

Twin bombings on May 13 at a Pakistani paramilitary police academy killed 80 people in what the Pakistan Taliban said was in part revenge for the killing of bin Laden and a precursor to attacks against the U.S.

The PNS Mehran Base is 10 kilometers fromKarachi’sQuaid- e-AzamInternationalAirport. It provides all the logistic and administrative support to the aviation unit of thePakistannavy, according to the navy’s website.

On Oct. 10, 2009, the Pakistani military freed 39 hostages after soldiers stormed a building in the army’sRawalpindiheadquarters, ending a 22-hour siege by militants.

Yesterday’s attack comes less than a month after militants attacked navy buses inKarachi, killing four people and injuring 56. Two days later, four navy personnel and one civilian were killed in a bomb attack on a navy bus in the financial capital.

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