Pakistani Taliban reportedly claims responsibility for Karachi airport attack
Rizwan Tabassum/AFP
The Pakistani Taliban is taking responsibility for a five-hour attack at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, Pakistan's busiest, that left at least 23 people dead over the course of Sunday night and Monday morning.
CNN reports that the group's commander, Abdullah Bahar, announced from an undisclosed location that the attack was in retaliation for the death of former chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a U.S. drone stroke in November 2013.
In the attack, 10 men disguised in Airport Security Force uniforms entered a terminal at the Karachi airport, carrying machine guns and a rocket launcher. Witnesses heard heavy gunfire and explosions coming from inside the airport, and a fire eventually broke out. Qaim Ali Shah, the chief minister of Sindh province, told reporters that the 10 militants who took part in the operation "were well trained. Their plan was very well thought out." He added that they planned on destroying aircraft and buildings, but were not able to. --Catherine Garcia
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Iframe Code
Iframe Code
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Iframe Code
Iframe Code
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read



