Frontier Constabulary man recalls intense battle in Badhaber

He gunned down two militants before sharpshooter aimed at his right leg

PESHAWAR:

With bullets flying overhead, Rafiullah had to crawl and shoot at the same time. It was the stuff of nightmares for the Frontier Constabulary Quick Response Force member.

He is one of the soldiers who fought valiantly to minimise the loss of human life as terrorists stormed Pakistan Air Force base camp in Badhaber on Friday.

“We spotted four militants, but the firing was extremely intense; we had to crawl and shoot back,” he told The Express Tribune from his hospital bed at Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). The security forces official suffered a bullet wound on his right leg.

At least 29 people, including an army captain, were killed when militants attacked the heavily guarded base located some six kilometres south of the provincial capital.

Rafiullah says he and fellow soldier Wajid Ali entered the camp around 7am. He recalls a guard, who was stationed at the entry gate, pointed them in the direction of the militants. All the while, gunfire crackled in the air as they searched for the gunmen.

Read: At least 29 killed, including army captain, as militants attack PAF base in Peshawar

A brave fight

He remembers walking into the battlefield and sighting four militants who were in three different positions. “They were all firing at different areas of the base. That is when we engaged them.”

Rafiullah says one of the assailants seemed to be a trained sharpshooter. “He had a telescope fitted to his rifle and was hiding behind a wall,” he tells The Express Tribune. “The gunman had dislodged a brick in the wall through which he pointed the barrel of his gun.”

The FC man says he and Rafiullah managed to take down two militants before he was injured.

“The moment we gunned down two militants, I jumped to move ahead to hunt down the remaining ones. However, the sharpshooter aimed and hit me in the right leg and I collapsed,” he said. Luckily for him, Ali was on hand to complete a daring rescue.

The hospital for emergencies

Ever since the attack, an emergency has been declared at LRH and other patients took different routes to reach the emergency and trauma centre.

Police cordoned off the hospital building and strict security enforced; those entering the premises had to undergo a thorough check.

Apart from Rafilullah, around six injured people, including two civilians Shakirullah and Mukarram Khan, as well as four PAF officials — Ikram, Mehroz, Nizam Shah and Rizwan — were brought to the hospital for medical assistance.

All the injured, except Mukarram who was discharged after treatment, were later shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Peshawar.

Condemnations pour in

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser also visited the hospital and met the injured. He condemned the attack and vowed to continue the war against militancy till the last terrorist was eliminated.

Qaiser told the media this “cowardly attack” has only strengthened the resolve of security forces. “The sacrifices of the nation will not go in vain and the war against militancy will continue.”

Minister for Information Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani also condemned the assault. According to a handout, he visited the site and addressed the media. Ghani said terrorists have no religious affiliation and the K-P government stands with the families of victims in their hour of grief.

Meanwhile, Governor Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, who is in Makkah for Hajj, slammed the attack on the PAF base and prayed for the departed. In a condolence message from Saudi Arabia, the governor said that the nation is proud of the sacrifices of the Pakistan Army, other security forces and civilians.

Awami National Party Senior Vice President and MNA Ghulam Ahmad Bilour condemned the militant attack on the PAF base in Badhaber.

A statement said the federal and provincial governments failed to eliminate militancy from the region, but the nation stands united with security forces.

Major Attacks On Military Installations

*2015

September 18

PAF Badhaber base attack

Killed: 29

Injured: 29

Read: FATA terror purge: Army won’t go back until job is done, says Gen Raheel

*Last updated at 10:30pm

2012

December 15

PAF Bacha Khan International Airport base attack

Killed: 2

Injured: 40

2012

August 16

PAF Minhas base, Kamra attack

Killed: 2

2011

May 22

PNS Mehran base, Karachi attack

Killed: 18

Injured: 16

2009

October 10

GHQ, Rawalpindi attack

Killed: 11

Injured: 15

SOURCE: SOUTH ASIA TERRORISM PORTAL

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2015.