Badhaber attack: Eight attackers appear to be ‘foreign nationals’

Interior ministry says it could take some time to determine the exact identity of terrorists who attacked PAF base

ISLAMABAD: Eight of the 14 terrorists who mounted Friday’s brazen assault on the Badhaber air force camp are believed to be foreign nationals as per initial investigations.

“According to the record and evidence collected by investigators so far, eight attackers did not appear to be Pakistani,” a spokesperson for the interior ministry said in an official statement.

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“It could take some time to determine their exact identity,” the spokesperson added. It was learnt on the day of attack that some of militants looked foreign but officials deliberately did not reveal due to sensitivity of the matter, the spokesperson further said.

On Sunday, the identities of five attackers were determined by the country’s top registration body – the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) – after fingerprints of the assailants killed in Friday’s brazen assault were sent for verification. The five terrorists were traced to Khyber Agency and Swat.

NADRA with coordination of other agencies is determining identity of all attackers, the official added.

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Further, the official said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar has ordered an inquiry into leakage of data pertaining to terrorists involved in the attack. “The interior minister fears the leakage of data could hurt ongoing investigation into the attack,” he added.