Closed-circuit television footage of last month’s deadly attack on the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) base at Kamra allegedly shows that the attackers did not face much resistance from PAF personnel at the base.
In a bid to escape heavy firing from militants, security personnel took shelter in a room. Evidence gleaned from the footage indicates that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants had “contacts” with security personnel at the base. Footage from a second surveillance camera allegedly discloses the attackers having a meeting around a table after their assault on the base. The assault led to a reconnaissance aircraft being destroyed, while two others were partially damaged. The two footages are approximately nine and five minutes long.
Sources said the tactics employed by the soldier who lost his life while fighting off the attackers and a colonel led to defeating them. The colonel not only saved the life of the base commander, but also killed four of the militants.
Sources said the evidence collected by the PAF officials heading the inquiry suggested that some security personnel who had possible involvement in the attack would be court-martialed.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2012.
COMMENTS (52)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1714129906-0/Clint-Eastwood-(1)1714129906-0-270x192.webp)
E.T is quickly becoming a trash. Their reports are often proved as wrong now which actually was not the case some time back. There is no such report any where else other then E.T :d. Even a man with average IQ level knows that such sensitive investigation is not published on immediate basis and E.T from God knows which sources have published F.I.R of the incident :d Probably E.T's editors are inspired from Fox news and TOI type troll media sources.
@mano.....you are wrong. defence takes only 18% of the budget, out of which half is consumed by the army and rest 1 quarter each by AF and Navy. Get your figures straight. @usman lakhani and others...the colonels being mentioned are not from AF, an army unit was guarding the parameter due to the threats received on all airbases. hence the colonel is mentioned.
@casim well you come here & spread hatred as if India is a developed country
Developed and development are relative terms. Compared to US we are underdeveloped. But compared to Pakistan every other country begins to look developed and developing at breakneck speed every day.
The reason for this is while every other country seems to be going forward, Pakistan seems to be in a headlong rush towards the 15th century.
I don't hate you, I just find you amusing.
Salute to Colonel and army soldier. Both of them should be awarded with country's highest awards. @xor, One army unit headed by a Colonel and a commando group was deployed at the base in case Airforce needed them in emergency. However initial response was Airforce job, in which it failed completely.
Those who think that the initial resistance was weak should find out the radius of Kamra base. You cannot defend each and every inch of the outer parameter. For Kamra it would mean employment of thousands of troops which is not feasible. I do not know much about Kamra but normally in very large installations, the guards placed at the outer parameter are at a distance from each other and basically meant for early warning. The actual response is by quick reaction forces placed at the inner circles. Here at Kamra, probably the same happened. In my view, where they have lacked is the use of technology to cover the outer parameter. But then, in Pakistan resource constraint remain an impediment for such undertakings.
courtmartialed thats it? That is less than a slap on the wrist? How come Dr. Afridi gets 30 years in jail where as these collaborators, the lowest of the lowest form of life, get a slap on the wrist.
PUT THEM IN JAIL AND THROW AWAY THE KEY!
Colonel in PAF? Here goes the credibility of this news report.
@Anyways: well you come here & spread hatred as if India is a developed country & its you who come here and interfere with our internal matter as if India is like haven :) whose obsessed with Pakistan is evident by the comments from your side and most of them incite nothing but hatred :) come over here when India really becomes a shining country, at the moment you come here and make a fool out of yourself :)
Truth detector : My comment is to show the mirror to the pakistani comments about RAW involvement. We, Indians, are absolutely sure what RAW is capable of (not much) and incapable of (a lot)
Show the video or didn't happen
@casim: India does have poverty and has never hidden the fact or denied it. We are never in that mode nor are we in a delusion that India can ever be called a Land of the Pure with our impurities. We still have the self dignity and respect of not going on our knees with a begging bowl in our hands for survival.
Looks like ET allows comments supporting terrorism now. Shame on you Et, you disgust me.
@John: Very very right, some heads should be hanged!
@Anyways: read the UN report as I am a liar lol. imagine 1.6 billion people in your country, by 2050 the most populated nation country in the world :) worry about that day instead of wasting your time over here with your hatred towards Pakistanis :) worry about your poor :)
Pakistan Air force doesn't have any Colonels! The PAF follows a different rank structure. I wonder whether the rest of the information in this article is trust worthy?
What a treacherous story published by ET. Hidden agenda to tarnish pak army, this newspaper needs to be checked for its financial links
Pak Fauj Zindabad! When a country has a fully commercial Military Inc., these things are bound to happen. You can't put in thread through the needle-hole with proper focus, & here we are talking about the defence of a country. Pak Fauj Zindabad!
what a brave army...............they consume 60% of the national budget ....
And we still giving them the healfty money to protect pakistan.......we should spent the money in education and health of our poor people. We always criticized our politicians and other people for wrong doing but always gives the high regards to our security personals and they never tell the right story and foul people.
The colonel should be bestowed with the highest military award. Too bad he wasn't fighting indians otherwise he might be a contender for the Nishan Haider. Sadly, he was fighting one of our own.
Why does ET feel so compled to publish stories from "unknown sources" everyday. Who can say for sure what happened until something official comes out of PAF investigation. I would not believe anything else, especially something from ETs sources.
@casim: Yeh ...you are right..I was very safe in Pakistan until that fateful day..
@shuja: Rather than weakness the factors that needs to be pondered upon are firstly the personnel's lack of knowledge about Islamic teachings that cause them to be brainwashed by the devils. OR the other factor could be the threat these devils give, especially threats to their families living in Northern areas, that paves the way clean and clear for such attacks. We must get to the bottom of it as to why are they successful in getting inside support.
Imagine an air base with so many planes sheltered in different hangers.
A group of people attack the base and manage to hit an important asset, a recon plane which was a known target.
Unless they had inside information, they would have spent time looking around for the key asset.
Some heads must roll somewhere!
@casim: Last week it was 400 million and today it is 800 million. What can one say of your comments then.
@obaid: worry about 800 million poor Indians :) and yeah we've heard this "oh Pakistan's nuclear assets are not safe, Al-Qaeda will take them (as if they are candies)" & "oh Taliban (which are only in Afghanistan) will take over Pakistan" for many years now! come up with something new buddy ;)
Good one colonel and sep who got killed
Reports on serious issues like this are usually backed by solid evidence - in this case, named sources and/or actual footage mentioned in this article. Otherwise, this is just a sensationalist piece of "journalism"!
I do believe this report.
From the begining it looked like this was an insider job. Pakistan does not need RAW for this. It was also clear that the damage to aircrafts was much more then reported. Few days later we would also hear that a few attackers have gone alive from the scene, no where to be found.
American Command chief would not have been in Pakistan very next day meeting Gen Kayani if this was all outside job and not much damage.
@casim nothing is impossible in this land of pure.
Fake Story...! Where's the Video?
No matter what the media say, we have the bravest army in the entire world! Look, we sit around the table with attackers first and then if they didn't give up fighting then we fight back... Isn't this a bravery?
Foreign media reports that Pak security forces have been infiltrated with TTP sympathizers and some others indoctrinated with Islamic ideology appears to be spot on but the same should be matter of great concern to the top brass. The last two attacks on defense installations have proved these reports and the statement by Gen Kayani apprehending of a civil war in not out of context.
@saqib. The forces cannot say the number aircraft destroyed because our enemy at the eastern border can take advantage. But overtime, these things will come out because counter measures are already in place
this is ridicules... spend so much money on these forces... and yet can't defend their own base .... what a pity PAF
I doubt the authenticity of this report as it is extremely difficult for anyone, even men in armed forces, to see or take out such an evidence out of any army Installation! only ISPR briefs the media otherwise army is highly secretive of such things.
why court martial? HANG THEM!!
Yet the nuclear assets are safe...lol
Court-martialed? They should be buried alive...
How come one aircraft was destroyed and two damaged once all we heard on media was only one aircraft slightly damaged...? What are the facts? Why such a slow response and huge embarrassment despite the fact that intelligence agencies had alerted about attack on airforce bases?
Court-martialed??. They should be tried for treason to say the least. And the Air Force really needs to get their affairs in order seriously. They knew kamra air base was under threat and still no proper security measures were undertaken. The usual jargon of it being an inside job is given to hide their own incompetence.The growing trend of extremism in the all the three Armed forces is really worrying.
contradictory articles. Tribune please get the correct story instead of publishing a new version every other day. thank you.
Are we (mango men) safe in pakistan ?
There are lots & lots of sympathizers in the forces for TTP. May be at least 30 - 40%.
Whenever ET quotes unnamed "sources" the story is sure to be a load of crap.
"Sources said the evidence collected by the PAF officials heading the inquiry suggested that some security personnel who had possible involvement in the attack would be court-martialed." Looks like RAW has penetrated even PAF. Good show.
Seems RAW has got hold of “contacts” also.
Weakness,weakness every where!.Cream of nation are selected by services for defence of the motherland.Very unfortunate.No words to describe frustration:)