Under siege
May 23, 2011
Karachi was deafened by the sound of sirens, gunfire and explosions and smothered by flames after around half a dozen armed terrorists temporarily besieged a well-guarded military base in Pakistan’s largest city. The terrorists, dressed in black, are said to have climbed the compound walls using ladders late Sunday night. The target of their mission had been the Pakistan Naval base. The militants held control of the base for over 15 hours. Four of them are said to have died and two to have escaped.
A marine spokesperson said the terrorists stormed the base in the heart of Karachi armed with automatic weapons and explosives. Because the base is said to have been Pakistan’s best protected military facility, Razi Ud-Din Sheikh, a Pakistani security expert, believes it must have in part been an inside job. “The terrorists were obviously well informed before the attack. They were aware of who and which targets would be there, and knew which was the best time to break in. We are talking about people who had the required training and information to put their plans into action. The information must have come from inside.”
Three weeks ago, a US special forces team found and killed the world’s most sought after terrorist, Osama bin Laden, on Pakistani soil. After the killing, terrorist groups, among them the Pakistani Taliban, announced they would avenge the death of bin Laden. But extremists have been targeting Pakistani military facilities for years in order to demoralize Pakistan’s army.
Pakistan "at war"
Pakistani Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, said the attack was proof that Pakistan is at war. “The Taliban and al Qaeda announced that they would attack important Pakistani facilities, including the army. Pakistan is at war. Pakistan is suffering, Pakistan is a victim. But we will fight the terrorists to the end.”
Onlookers say Pakistan is now reaping what it sowed in the 1980s, when the state was affiliating with extremists. Security expert Ikram Sehgal believes that the government, and especially the military, should have been on the lookout. He says, “This is how things are in Pakistan: something bad happens and people become vigilant and then two days later, everything is back to normal.”
Pakistan’s proud military has been under a large amount of pressure since the killing of Osama bin Laden. The temporary militant take-over of an armed military base is a further blow to Pakistan’s security as well as its ego.
Author: Kai Küstner / Sarah Berning
Editor: Ziphora Robina