ISLAMABAD, Aug 17: Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed on Friday that
because of an advance warning about a possible attack on PAF
installations terrorists` attempt to harm Kamra assets on Thursday was
foiled and all the attackers were killed.
Addressing a press
conference, Mr Malik said four of the assailants had been identified.
They had received training in Waziristan and the raid, he said, could be
traced back to North and South Waziristan.
He said the Taliban
were harbouring criminals from all over the country and stressed the
need for finding out the mastermind who had sent terrorists to Kamra.
Mr
Malik praised the Commander of Karma airbase who led the operation to
safeguard the facility and was injured while fighting the attackers.
Answering
a question, he said no decision had yet been taken about launching an
operation in North Waziristan, adding that such a decision would not be
taken under foreign pressure.
Rejecting western media reports,he said thedefence of the country and its nuclearassets were in safe hands.
`When we can develop nuclear assets we also know how to protect them.
About the Babusar Top attack, he said the terrorists had killed innocent people.
He appealed to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan to demonstrate patience and foil attempts to destabilise the country.
He
said the government would soon announce a compensation package for
families whose loved ones were killed in the sectarian attack.
Mr Malik said an amount of Rs100 million had been allocated to ensure safety on Sharah-i-Karakoram.
He
said there was no US national on the premises of Police Lines
Headquarters in Islamabad, but conceded that some foreign trainers,
including from Australia, were there fro training police personnel.
The interior minister said law-enforcement agencies and police department had been directed to maintain security on Eid.
Yaqoob
Malik adds from Attock: Ten suspects were picked up during a search in
various areas around the Kamra cantonment on Friday and they are being
interrogated.
A large number of Afghan refugees have been living
in different parts of Kamra district for years and there is no record
about them with the authorities concerned.
Meanwhile, a team has been set up to investigate the incident and identify the militants.
The
post-mortem on the militants` bodies was conducted late on Thursday
night at the mortuary of DHQ hospital under thesupervision of Dr Khalid
Mehmood Khan amid tight security.
During the autopsy,
lawenforcement personnel also collected fingerprints which would be sent
to the National Database and Registration Authority to establish the
identities of the attackers.
Meanwhile, a security manwho was
injured during the fighting with the attackers died on Friday. PAF
spokesman Group Captain Tariq Mahmood said that Mohammad Iqbal`s funeral
prayers were held at the PAF base in Minhas.
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt visited the base on Friday.
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