Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claims responsibility
Security forces said Monday they have relaunched a military operation at Karachi airport as gunfire resumed several hours after they announced the end of a militant siege that left 24 dead, reports Dawn.
Fresh gunfire was reported from the airport Monday morning and a loud explosion was also heard across its premises.
Security forces said that the intensity of the explosion heard across the airport was still uncertain.
The initial assault at the Jinnah International Airport began late Sunday and raged until dawn, when the military said that all 10 militants had been killed.
Equipped with suicide vests, grenades and rocket launchers, they had battled security forces in one of the most brazen attacks in years in Pakistan's biggest city.
Among the 14 victims were security personnel and four airport workers.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attack all but destroys prospects for significant peace talks with the government of Nawaz Sharif, who came to power last year promising to find a negotiated solution to years of violence.
Peace talks between the government and the Pakistani Taliban have failed in recent months, dampening hopes of reaching a negotiated settlement with the insurgency, which continues attacks against government and security targets.
Islamabad, Lahore airports on red alert
Meanwhile, The Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad and the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore were placed on ‘red alert’ on Sunday night after a terrorist attack on the Karachi airport.
Additional security personnel were deployed around areas of the airports and additional police personnel were deployed.
“All security agencies may be involved to ensure the protection of an installation at this alert level,” an airport official told Dawn.
He said the authorities were doing everything possible to thwart such attempts and ensure the safety of airports and passengers.
As part of the highest level of security, every person entering the airport is being checked and temporary passes have been cancelled.
Parking of vehicles near the Rawal lounge has been restricted army and Elite Force personnel have started patrolling the area.
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