Karachi Naval Base under Militant Attack

[Singh]

Gloomy assessments in the wake of attack
​

KARACHI: The audacious assault on Pakistan Naval Station Mehran has been met with grim resignation in security circles and incredulity among analysts.

The attack occurred 19 months since GHQ in Pindi was raided and came in the wake of three deadly attacks against navy personnel in Karachi in recent weeks. And yet militants were able to easily infiltrate PNS Mehran through an empty patch of land running alongside the rear of the base.

Another indicator of the seemingly lax attitude towards security: marriage halls owned and operated by the armed forces a stone's throw from air force and naval bases in the area have done brisk business in recent years.


Inevitably, then, the PNS Mehran attack has raised several questions.

Why has the Pakistan Navy found itself in the cross-hairs of militants in Karachi recently?

Speculation has focused on the relative weakness of naval security. According to a senior police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the latest attack, "From a low-level tactical perspective, (the naval bases) in Karachi are entrenched in densely populated areas. For some reason, the security appears to be less. The army has really tightened theirs, and the air force has its own protocols."

The navy as the 'soft underbelly of the armed forces' argument is supplemented by two other contentions.

First, the possibility of the militants having insider information. "The navy was vulnerable because there is penetration in both the navy and air force. The penetration in the navy is an old story that people don't want to talk about," according to Ayesha Siddiqa, who once served as a civilian analyst with the Pakistan Navy.

Second, the role, albeit a quiet one, the Pakistan Navy plays in the fight against militancy. "The American warships and aircraft carrier off the coast of Karachi coordinate with the navy here," according to Amir Rana, director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies. "Al Qaeda knows about naval cooperation, and has even exhorted its supporters in the Maghreb to develop 'sea capabilities'."

Then, the question of possible suspects in the PNS Mehran attack.

"The Ilyas Kashmiri group certainly has a proven track record to launch such attacks," Amir Mir, an expert on militant groups, said, referring to the notorious militant chief who is believed to have morphed into an Al Qaeda leader.

"In Karachi, there is Jundullah and the Dr Arshed Wahid offshoot that has the capability for such an attack," Amir Rana suggested. "Both also have cooperated indirectly with Al Qaeda in the past." (Jundullah with AQ is news to me)

Rana noted that the Arshed Wahid group had forged links with the Ilyas Kashmiri group in North Waziristan several years ago. Arshed Wahid was killed in a drone strike in South Waziristan in March 2008.

The PIPS director added: "The Shah Faisal colony area has been infiltrated by the Wahid group, as has the Malir area. They are constantly watching the bases and will have known who is coming and going, etc." (As per the latest wikileak assertions Karachi has more armed gang members than cops)

A security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak publicly, said of the TTP claiming responsibility for the PNS Mehran attack: "It is very plausible. The TTP-AQ link is indisputable. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of reports by now documenting the links between the two. What was once conjecture is now incontrovertible."

Amir Mir also agreed that the TTP claim is credible: "The Talibanisation of Pakistan, the Pakistanisation of Al Qaeda — all these groups are constantly coming together for operations. It doesn't make sense to pretend it isn't happening."

As for a possible motive to attack PNS Mehran?

"Bin Laden's death is a shocker even for the 'friendly' militants. This has to be the work of Al Qaeda's local franchises. There are a lot of the friendly militant gangs in Karachi. Gulshan-i-Maymar is full of them," claimed Ayesha Siddiqa.

According to the security official: "After Bin Laden was taken out, these groups had to respond. Otherwise, how do they justify their existence to their recruits? The desertion rate would have jumped if there had been no serious attacks. Charsadda was the beginning. It could have been much worse."

And what does the devastating PNS Mehran attack say about the preparedness of the Pakistan armed forces and the ability of the security apparatus to deal with the terrorism threat?

Most analysts were pessimistic. "The aura is gone, their face has been blackened. If the armed forces can't even protect themselves, who can they protect?" asked Amir Mir.

"Look, we've been saying it for years. You need to shut the shop of Jihad for good. All these groups they raised like pets in Fata and elsewhere, they need to be wiped out. Enough of this good militant, bad militant logic," a veteran security analyst claimed.

Some are bracing themselves for worse days ahead. "Within a month, we should get the pulse. On the one hand, dispersion of militants may be a measure of success of military operations. But could the militants have been planning something big? Something massive may be coming up," warned the security official.

Gloomy assessments in the wake of attack | Newspaper | DAWN.COM

 

[Singh]

PNS Mehran attack
​

KARACHI: As soon as news of an attack at the naval base spread, a posse of civilian law-enforcement agencies, including the police, Crime Investigation Department, Special Investigation Unit, Special Protection Group, Anti-Extremism Cell, Counter-Terrorism Unit, reached the spot. But the navy personnel did not let them in.

"This is not good," fumed Anti-Extremism Cell chief SSP Chaudhry Aslam Khan. "What can we do now? They are not providing us access.
No need to stay here. We are going back."

Angry officers were turned away from the gates of the PAF Museum, PNS Mehran and PAF Faisal through which army trucks whizzed past.
Many officers just hung back, too cagey to risk being embarrassed by rejection.

"Leave it, yaar," said a CID official. "Yahan par kharey ho kar apni beizzati karwaien kya?" He grabbed Aslam's arm and steered him away too.

Later, some police officials also entered but according to reports all of them had to stay at the guardroom.

The vehicles of intelligence officials went through as did about three ambulances and fire engines. It seemed as if the entire city's ambulances had reached the spot but all of them were turned away.

Even Karachi police's Special Investigation Unit SSP Raja Umer Khattab, in his silver SUV, was denied entry. However, a convoy of the Ranger's wing commander was immediately let in.

Sindh Police Crime Investigation Department's senior officials SSP Omer Shahid and SSP Chaudhry Aslam in their black SUV managed to reach just the parking lot of the museum, but returned when the Navy Marines began engaging the militants in a fierce gun battle. One or two journalists too sneaked in with the convoy of some of these police officers, but they, too, returned, in one case with bruises on their arms, minutes later. The convoys of Pakistan Army and Rangers, however, continued pouring into the base unhindered till early morning.


PNS Mehran attack: Police kept out – The Express Tribune

Dichotomy ensues.

 

[Singh]

Importance of PNS Mehran

Strike clips Pak NavyÂ’s wings
​

The attack on the heavily guarded Faisal airbase has severely affected Pakistan Navy's maritime reconnaissance capability, with two aircraft in a key fleet of five destroyed. The airbase complex that includes Mehran naval station, home to the Pakistan Navy's air wing, has all of its maritime reconnaissance assets that are central to the protection of Karachi port.

Faisal airbase, or Drigh Road as it was known prior to 1977, is so key to Pakistan's defence that it was the constant target of India's Hunter and Canberra fighters during the Bangladesh war and was flattened by aerial attacks during a strike on the Karachi harbour. Operations Trident and Python had left Karachi burning and a bulk of Pakistan's oil reserves destroyed, accompanied by a heavy attack on the Drigh Road base by Canberras from the 35 squadron.

In fact, India's association with the Faisal airbase goes back ever further; it is the cradle of Indian aviation, birth place of both the Indian Air Force and Air India.

On October 15, 1932, a tiny single-engine aircraft flew from the airbase with a 25 kg load of mail to Bombay, making it undivided India's first commercial flight. This celebrated flight on a de Havilland Puss Moth by J R D Tata paved the way for the formation of Tata Airlines that later grew into Air India. Almost a year later in April 1933, the Indian Air Force was born at the same airbase with the induction of four Westland Wapiti fighters.

It is probably because of the base's association with Pakistan's economy and trade relations - by virtue of its proximity with the country's main business town of Karachi links - that it was targeted by the Taliban.

As the hub of Pakistan's naval aviation, the airbase is home to its most potent weapon - the P3C Orion maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft - a highly potent fleet that not only worries the Indian Navy but is also capable of being used against the war on terror.

If the two aircraft destroyed were the ones recently upgraded in the US, the potential loss to Pakistan would be close to $100 million. "Pakistan had effectively lost 40 per cent of its Orion fleet. While other aircraft like the Fokkers (seven) and Atlantique (two) are still available, the most potent by far are the Orions," a Navy officer said.

"The attack demonstrates two things. One is the militants' ability to enter such a complex and the other is the role that Pakistan Navy has been playing in the war against terror," says Uday Bhaskar, Director of the National Maritime Foundation.

Another blow has been to the morale of the Pakistan military. Faisal is one of the most heavily defended airbases in terms of an air cover and also one of the most heavily guarded military facilities. "This is not the first time Karachi has been targeted. It is a real shake-up as the attack has taken place on the premium naval base. It throws up a lot of questions on the Pakistan military's ability to secure its assets," the Navy officer said.

A major concern is that the Taliban has acquired the capability to storm and enter a heavily guarded military complex, once again throwing up questions on the safety of Pakistan's nuclear weapons. "While security at the airbase may not have been as tight as it is at nuclear installations, the Faisal base would have a very heavy military cover. If Taliban fighters can penetrate that and destroy two aircraft, there are genuine concerns about Pakistan's ability to keep nuclear weapons safe," a security official said.

Strike clips Pak Navy’s wings - Indian Express

 

[Singh]

From establishment's mouthpiece

Pakistan's military under al-Qaeda attack
​

ISLAMABAD - The brazen al-Qaeda-linked attack on the Pakistan navy's Mehran air base in the southern port city of Karachi on Sunday night marks the violent beginning of an internal ideological struggle between Islamist elements in the Pakistani armed forces and their secular and liberal top brass.

More than 10 heavily armed militants attacked the base from three sides, blowing up several sensitive aircraft including a United States-manufactured surveillance plane. At least 20 security personnel are known to have been killed and as of late Monday morning the militants were still holding hostages in the facility.

The attack has been claimed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistan Taliban), but Asia Times Online contacts are adamant that the operation was orchestrated by al-Qaeda to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden this month by US Special Forces and carried out by 313 Brigade - the operational arm of al-Qaeda that is headed by Ilyas Kashmiri.

Following Bin Laden's killing in the town of Abbottabad 60 kilometers north of Islamabad on May 2, Asia Times Online wrote that the reaction of the militants would be carefully planned attacks on installations of the armed forces:
This would be the beginning of real fireworks within the military establishment should mid-level cadre - rogue elements - aligned with Sunni militants instigate attacks along the lines of the militant assault on the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008 that resulted in the deaths of more than 150 people. Trouble ahead in Pakistan's new US phase , May 18.
The attack began at about 10.30pm on Sunday night when the militants, carrying guns, rocket-propelled grenades and hand grenades, stormed the base. They blew up guard rooms before heading for a hanger, where they targeted P-3 Orion aircraft with rockets, recently supplied by the US to Pakistan, on which some American officials were working.

A senior security official in Karachi told Asia Times Online that the militants showed a lot of resilience and had pinned down security forces, which have to date made three attempts to eliminate the attackers and release the hostages. Some unconfirmed reports suggested that Chinese workers were among the hostages. A navy spokesman denied this.

The first move against the militants was made on Sunday night by Sindh police and Rangers, but they were immediately repulsed. Then navy commandos entered on early Monday morning, but they took at least 12 casualties. Later, the Special Services Group of the army was deployed and it has also received some casualties.

According to eye witnesses reports, the militants acted in a calm and relaxed way, firing at intervals. They appeared to have complete knowledge of the base and frequently changed their position. Very much like the Mumbai attack, the militants were well-equipped with arms, ammunition, food and drink.

"It was shown several months ago that the Pakistan navy is vulnerable to Islamists when a marine commando unit official was arrested," the security official said. "He was a member of the Mehsud tribe from South Waziristan [tribal area] and was completely indoctrinated by militants. Naval Intelligence never shared the information with the ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] or any other security agency that during interrogation he confessed that militants planned to attack installations during the visit of a foreign delegation. Now, they [intelligence] realize how the organization [navy] is riddled and vulnerable to the influence of militant organizations," the official said.

The attack is similar to other major ones in the South Asian war theater:
Mumbai on November 26, 2008 - 10 militants went on a three-day rampage.
Police Academy in Lahore in 2009 - least 23 people dead and hundreds injured.
The Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in 2009 - six policemen killed and several injured.
General Headquarters Rawalpindi in 2009 - several hostages taken and then released.
Parade Lane Mosque Rawalpindi in 2009 - at least 40 killed.

Pakistani security forces confirmed that at least three of these attacks were carried out by 313 Brigade led by Ilyas Kashmiri while the others were blamed on Pakistani militants trained by Kashmiri (See al-Qaeda's guerrilla chief lays out strategy Asia Times Online, October 15, 2009.)

Military out of step
After the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, Pakistan's top brass took a policy turn and joined in the US's "war on terror", but a large chunk of officers took retirement and with serving colleagues they helped the Taliban. This changed the dynamics of the Afghan war theater (see Military brains plot Pakistan's downfall Asia Times Online, September 26, 2007).

This collection of former and serving officers was responsible for a number of attacks on the military, including on military headquarters in 2009 and against ex-president General Pervez Musharraf.

Now, this nexus could become active again to revive regional operations, in addition to a possible mutiny against the top military brass. (See Trouble ahead in Pakistan's new US phase May 18.)

Before the incident in Karachi, Asia Times Online was contacted by militants by telephone to confirm future attacks in the following words: "We don't want any trouble inside Pakistan or in the Pakistan army, but we do want to create an environment in which it would be conducive for pro-Islam and patriotic elements in the armed forces to dislodge incompetent and pro-American military officials."

This is the third attack on a naval installation in the past 30 days - two were launched before Bin Laden's assassination.

"The Pakistan navy constituted a high-level inquiry committee after their bases were targeted last month," a senior security official told Asia Times Online on the condition of anonymity. "The teams arrived to Karachi last month and asked for our input. They were wondering why militants were targeting the navy as they were not involved in any anti-terror operations. We told them that the navy's own staff were hand-in-glove in those two attacks," the official said.

Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan

Kashmiri's 313 Brigade, which was earlier focused on Afghanistan, has clearly now turned its sights on Pakistan, where Kashmiri is known to have powerful connections among retired and serving officials in the armed forces. More attacks are inevitable.

 

[nitesh]

I think when ISI chief was boasting about attacks being rehearsed for attack on India, the terrorists might have complained of not proper training provided, and might have asked for some live rehearsal, hence the attack on PNS Mehran

 

[Virendra]

lolzzz .. heights of sarcasm

 

[nitesh]

the first casualty:

Sri Lanka reject Pakistan tour on security

 

[Sikh_warrior]

Chinese and Yanks are trying their best to inject life into dying pakistan with money and material support.

KSA is also trying its best to inject life by supplying oil at deferred payments.

but pakistan is still not able to recover and is moving along a suicidal path....why?

because pakistan is good at producing suicide bombers!

 

[sayareakd]

Originally Posted by sayareakd
one chines has been killed.

Buddy, there is a difference between wishes and reality.

That post was based on the news coming in from PNS base, BTW if i had to wish for dead chines, then i would have said that all the chines on the base were killed by terrorist.

Chines are so stupid.

 

[Blackwater]

That post was based on the news coming in from PNS base, BTW if i had to wish for dead chines, then i would have said that all the chines on the base were killed by terrorist.

Chines are so stupid.

That's why they are in bed with pak, in return will get only A.I.D.S

 

[sayareakd]

How did six Taliban hold off 100 security forces for 16 hours?


By Faisal Aziz
KARACHI | Tue May 24, 2011 9:18am EDT

(Reuters) - A Pakistani Navy commando was the first to detect Taliban militants attacking a naval aviation base in the city of Karachi on Sunday night. He was dead within seconds.

The small group of militants, as few as six, who attacked the PNS Mehran naval aviation base in Karachi gave its defenders no time.

"You cannot imagine how quick they were," said a Pakistani security official who asked not to be named. "When they entered, one of the Navy commandos saw them and tried to react."

He never got the chance.

"It was a single shot in the darkness which took his arm off," the official said. "You can imagine how good they were."

The commando died on the spot.

It was about 10.30 p.m. when he died, and the violence didn't end until 16 hours later on Monday afternoon.

The al Qaeda-inspired militants bent on avenging Osama bin Laden's death at the hands of U.S. special forces on May 2 killed 10 Pakistani troops and wounded 20.

It took about 100 commandos, rangers and marines to kill four militants and recapture the base, further humiliating the military. Two militants are believed to have escaped.

In just three weeks, the military has been accused of incompetence in failing to stop the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden and complicity in hiding him.

The attack calls into question the military's ability to secure the country's borders and nuclear weapons.

QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS

How did the militants get into one the country's most heavily guarded bases and hold off commandos and soldiers for so long?

Some security officials said it must have been an inside job because of the obstacles to entering. The attackers probably travelled along a dirt lane running beside cinder block shacks at the rear of the base.

In order to get in, they had to cross a long, thick sewage path, elude guards in towers, set up a ladder, scale a 12-foot wall, and cut through barbed wire.

The security official said the assailants were dressed in black with night-vision goggles and armed with Russian hand grenades, rocket launchers, assault rifles and suicide vests.

They fired rocket-propelled grenades at aircraft and fuel tanks, sending huge flames into the sky.

Within a short time, a rapid reaction force from the base tried to engage the raiders, but they retreated to a main building at the sprawling base where they would hole up for the rest of the siege.

Who were these militants?

The security official said the militants looked foreign, with fair complexions, perhaps Chechens or Uzbeks. Foreign militants tied to al Qaeda's international network are known to train in Pakistan's unruly tribal areas along the Afghan border. Many of them are allied with the Pakistani Taliban.

PROTECTING THEIR ASSETS

By 2.30 a.m. on Monday, the initial fighting had ebbed. As jet fuel burned around them, both militants and the military were looking for a plan.

Commanders didn't want to launch a full-scale assault because they feared further damaging aircraft and infrastructure. Fires had already claimed hangars and damaged other aircraft.

"If we had tried to kill them quickly they might have blown themselves up near our assets and caused more damage. We did finally manage to push them away from our assets," said an intelligence official.

The militants' plan was direct: Kill, and be killed.

Pakistan officials say the main operation to retake the base was over by 9.30 a.m., followed by a search and clear operation lasting until the afternoon. There was scattered gunfire and occasional explosions throughout the day.

"Clearly there was a (security) breach," said another security official. "In my personal view there had to be some help from the inside - to brief the militants about the area, and location."

"Our forces should have done better. But at the end of the day, if there are suicide bombers who have already decided to die, I don't think you can stop them," said Shabbir Hussain, a car dealer who lives behind the base.

The civilian government has called a defense committee meeting for Wednesday, two days after the assault, showing a surprising lack of urgency. The military has remained silent. But Pakistanis are more anxious than ever.

"Our military ... has the best and most sophisticated weapons to counter its 'enemies'," wrote the English-language Daily Times. "But the terrorists have the will and patience to fight them out."

(Writing by Michael Georgy and Chris Allbritton; Editing by Nick Macfie)

WORLDAEROSPACE & DEFENSE

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/24/us-pakistan-attack-timeline-idUSTRE74N38820110524

 

[sayareakd]

"You cannot imagine how quick they were," said a Pakistani security official who asked not to be named. "When they entered, one of the Navy commandos saw them and tried to react."

He never got the chance.

"It was a single shot in the darkness which took his arm off," the official said. "You can imagine how good they were."

The commando died on the spot.

how this can happen

 

[Godless-Kafir]

So these terrorists did not even attack the base to get nukes? Looks like they could have had those nukes if they tried to get it.

 

[nitesh]

hmmmm interesting, so pakistanis were lying as usual:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/world/asia/25china.html?_r=1

 

[sayareakd]

Apas ki baat – 23rd may 2011

 

[Godless-Kafir]

how this can happen

This is typical Pakistani excuse giving after an defeat. They always come up with some excuse inorder to save face and many times those excuses themselves shot them in their feet.

 

[sayareakd]

So these terrorists did not even attack the base to get nukes? Looks like they could have had those nukes if they tried to get it.

well those were 6 commandos, now just imagine if they had 20 then they would have taken all they wanted and this fight would have taken 3-4 days minimum, in the mean time few of the nukes would have been loaded on planes or put on truck on taken away.

 

[Virendra]

well those were 6 commandos, now just imagine if they had 20 then they would have taken all they wanted and this fight would have taken 3-4 days minimum, in the mean time few of the nukes would have been loaded on planes or put on truck on taken away.

They went in to never come back, so nuke takeaway seems like a different and out of scope requirement (damn the IT terminology )
Anyways, they wanted to cause maximum damage in minimum time, meddling with nukes could have slowed them down.

Regards,
Virendra

 

[nrj]

how this can happen

We need to understand that, these militants were highly trained perhaps best among all, having cross breed training of Pak-TTP-AQ-Chinese techniques. Eye witnesses said that militants were calm & walked around the base quietly as if they knew facility very well.

Makes me wonder if some of the PN officers were nothing but militants & changed attire before attack?

Maybe Talibs are training their soldiers with special course in which if they have to face elite Pakistani forces. They've assumed possibility that if US literally pushes stick in GOP's back, top-notch Talib jihadis will be facing Pak special forces.

--

Still these are just predictions as most likely terrorists were from Indian Special Forces & every agent is very capable to take out 15-20 PN commando.

 

[Yan Luo Wang]

Chines are so stupid.

You're right, Chinese people are stupid.

Whatever.