Terror in the air: Russian cargo plane comes under fire over Peshawar

Afghanistan-bound aircraft receives one bullet in air frame but pilot lands it safely at BKIA

PESHAWAR:

A Russian cargo plane came under fire in the Sheikh Muhammadi area of Badhaber Sunday night seconds before landing at the Bacha Khan International Airport (BKIA) in Peshawar.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ijaz Khan confirmed to The Express Tribune that a cargo aircraft was fired at from the ground.

“We have consulted the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the airport administration for further information but there is no loss of life and the aircraft was able to land safely,” he added.

The airport administration said it was an Afghanistan-bound Russian cargo plane, which was landing on the BKIA due to night and lagging behind its schedule.

“Around two magazines of AK-47 incendiary rounds were fired at the plane but only one bullet hit the airframe,” said a CAA official, adding that the pilot was able to land the plane safely. He said the attack took place once again from the same Sheikh Muhammadi area where aircraft have to fly at lower altitude before landing at the BKIA.

It was the second such attack in Peshawar. In June this year, a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-756 was fired upon in a similar fashion in the same area. One woman was killed and two persons were injured in the attack.

Army troops have been deployed in the Sheikh Muhammadi, Suliman Khel and Masho Khel areas of Badhaber police station since June and it has banned residents from leaving their houses after nightfall as a precautionary measure.

After the attack, the police launched a search operation in the area and took photograph for geo-tagging to establish a database of the residents and building to ward off any PK-756-type attacks.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2014.