Pakistani Taliban Storms Airbase Near Peshawar

Fighters belonging to the Pakistani Taliban have attacked an air force station near Peshawar, resulting in a firefight with security forces and the deaths of at least 16 people, according to the Pakistan army.

ISPR, the Pakistan military’s media wing, said at least three security officers died and 13 fighters were killed while 25 people, including 16 security officers, were wounded in Friday morning’s assault. Details about how the attackers managed to make their way into a mosque inside the compound walls and kill 16 people during prayers were sketchy.
Ambulances took around 20 wounded military personnel to hospital, Bilal Ahmed, a rescue official, told Reuters news agency. The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban, claimed responsibility for the raid at the Badaber Air Force base, located on the edge of Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Al Jazeera’s Nicole Johnston, reporting from Peshawar, said Friday’s assault was the first major attack conducted by the Pakistani Taliban since the Peshawar school massacre in December.