13 Taliban militants dead after attack on air base in Pakistan

A soldier injured during Friday&#039;s Taliban attack in Peshawar.

(Image credit: Twitter.com/AJENews)

last updated 18 September 2015

Early Friday, Taliban militants tried to force their way into the Badaber air base in Peshawar, Pakistan, a military spokesman said.

On Twitter, Major Gen. Asim Bajwa said the militants attacked a guard post and attempted to get onto the base. At least 13 attackers have been killed and 10 soldiers injured, and the military is "searching for hidden terrorists." A source asking to remain anonymous told Reuters the attackers opened fire on security guards and "were wearing explosives-laden jackets and were armed with hand-propelled grenades, mortars, AK-47 rifles." Taliban spokesman Muhammad Khorasani "proudly" claimed responsibility on behalf of the group, telling Reuters, "This base is being used by fighter jets for bombing us."

UPDATE: Later Friday, Pakistan's military said that the Taliban fighters had managed to infiltrate a mosque inside the air base and gunned down 16 people while they were praying. Bajwa also said that a Pakistani army captain had been killed while repelling the assault.

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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.