Expect more attacks, Taliban say

Pakistan airport assault in response to U.S. drone strike

Pakistani police officers display weapons and ammunition confiscated from attackers at the Jinnah International Airport on Monday in Karachi, Pakistan.
Pakistani police officers display weapons and ammunition confiscated from attackers at the Jinnah International Airport on Monday in Karachi, Pakistan.

KARACHI, Pakistan -- The Pakistani Taliban threatened more violence Monday after a five-hour assault on the nation's busiest airport killed 29 people -- including all 10 attackers -- raising a new challenge for a U.S. ally trying to end years of fighting that has killed thousands.

With recently started peace efforts stalled, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government might be forced to make a decision on whether to take on the militants in earnest.

A further weakening of stability in the nuclear power could ripple to neighboring Afghanistan as international combat forces prepare to withdraw from that country.

"Everywhere is a threat," Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said. "Every area is a target; every building is a potential target."

Such an attack in Karachi, Pakistan's business center, likely will discourage foreign investment at a time when its economy is struggling.

The Taliban said the assault on the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi was in revenge for the November killing of the militant group's leader in a U.S. drone strike. The group's spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid, warned that "such attacks will continue until there is a permanent cease-fire."

The attack began late Sunday when 10 gunmen, some disguised as policemen, stormed into an airport terminal. They opened fire with machine guns and rocket launchers, sparking a battle with security forces that lasted until just before dawn.

At least some of the gunmen wore the uniform of the Airport Security Force, said an official near the terminal. All the attackers wore vests with explosives, some of which were detonated when they were shot at by police, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

The attack started about the same time that airport security personnel and workers from the Pakistani International Airlines engineering wing were changing shifts, said two airline employees. The employees asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

A cargo building was gutted by the fire and the explosions, said Rizwan Akhtar, the chief of Pakistan's paramilitary Rangers.

Just before dawn, security forces regained control of the airport. All 10 attackers were dead, Akhtar said. Some of the attackers appeared to be Uzbeks, he said, but officials still were investigating.

The attackers intended to destroy aircraft or possibly take hostages, Khan said. Most of the 19 others killed were airport security personnel who took the brunt of the assault.

During the battle, airport operations were suspended and all incoming flights were diverted. The airport reopened Monday afternoon.

Shahid -- the spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, as the Pakistani Taliban are known -- said the attack was to avenge the death of Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in November.

The claim further diminished prospects for a resumption of peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban that officials had hoped could bring an end to the group's years-long campaign seeking to overthrow the government.

Sharif's government has advocated a policy of trying to negotiate with militants to end the insurgency, but the talks have stalled recently. The Taliban called off a cease-fire they had declared during the negotiations. Since then, Pakistani troops have hit hideouts with airstrikes in the troubled northwestern region, killing dozens of suspected militants.

But Samina Ahmed, senior adviser for South Asia from the International Crisis Group, said part of the problem is that Pakistan doesn't have a clear policy on dealing with the militancy.

"There is already a military operation," she said, referring to the airstrikes. "But that operation is reactive and tactical. It's not strategic, and it's not sustained."

If Sharif were to get serious in taking on the militants, he could face opposition from the people, including in his home territory of Punjab province that has been relatively insulated from the violence.

Imtiaz Gul, director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies, said the government has been worried about attacks on Punjab province if it pushes for a large-scale military operation.

"That's one of the considerations," he said. "They believe they can develop Punjab into an island of peace and prosperity."

Information for this article was contributed by Zarar Khan, Munir Ahmed, Asif Shahzad and Adam Schreck of The Associated Press.

A Section on 06/10/2014

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