Pakistan: Taliban Attack Air Force Base
Pakistan’s Minhas airbase, near Kamra, after a gunbattle with militants (Photo: REUTERS/Pakistan Stringer)
Islamic militants attacked a Pakistani airbase early on Thursday.
The base is believed to house nuclear weapons.
The attack was repelled, and it seems all the gunmen were killed.
But the base took some damage: flames and smoke could be seen rising from the airfield, and the base commander himself was reported to be wounded.
Blake Hounshell, managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine, says Pakistan was on a high state of alert, because of intelligence warnings of an attack.
“It’s alarming,” says Hounshell that militants can break in to such a secure nuclear facility during a red alert. He says this kind of thing “keeps … me up at night.”
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!