Timeline: Major terrorist sieges in Pakistan

A look back on major sieges in Pakistan in the past five years.

Smoke rises after militants launched an assault at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI:
Here is a look back on major sieges in Pakistan over the past five years.

October 10, 2009: Ten terrorists dressed in army uniforms attacked the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, resulting in the death of six army personnel. A brigadier and a lieutenant colonel were among those killed in the attack claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).



On October 10, 2009 militants mounted a brazen attack on GHQ. PHOTO: AFP

May 22, 2011: At least 17 people including security personnel were killed in the PNS Mehran base attack, when as many as 10 terrorists managed to storm the naval base in Karachi in a 16-hour assault. The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a revenge of May 2011 US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad.



A plume of smoke rises from the background as a military official uses a phone at the entrance to the Mehran naval aviation base which was attacked by militants in Karachi. PHOTO: REUTERS


August 16, 2012: At least eight militants and one security official were killed in a terrorist attack on the Minhas Airbase at Kamra that lasted for over five hours. All the militants who stormed the base were later killed in a shootout with security forces. The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack. Minhas is one of Pakistan's biggest air bases with about 30 fighter jets including new JF-17 planes.



Air Force personnel cordon off the main entrance of the air force base following an attack in Kamra: PHOTO: AFP

December 15, 2012: Fifteen people – including 10 militants, two policemen and three civilians – were killed at the Bacha Khan International Airport (BKIA) in Peshawar. The TTP claimed responsibility for this attack as well. The airport was shutdown for 18 hours.



Security personnel gather near Peshawar airport following the attack. PHOTO: AFP

June 8, 2014: At least 28 people, including 12 terrorists, have been killed in an attack at the old terminal of Karachi airport. The airport was shutdown and passengers evacuated. The army was called in to launch an operation against the militants.

*The death tolls of the attacks are taken from the most recent reports in The Express Tribune.
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