The May 22nd terrorist attack on the Mehran naval air base has sent shock waves across Pakistan, which are likely to reverberate for years to come. Civilians in general and the armed forces in particular, have realized with growing pain and despondency that the terrorists could enter and destroy with minimum losses the most vital military assets of Pakistan. After the US Navy SEALS assault on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad and the terrorist suicide attack at Mehran, the public has lost confidence in the armed forces ability to thwart US and terrorist aggression.
The three PC-3’s were sitting ducks for the TTP conspirators, who could see them on “Goggle Earth”, and by physical reconnaissance. Parked in the open within range of RPG-7 rockets, it was easy for the suicide terrorists to blast them. This unforgivable intelligence and security lapse must be fully investigated into.
In this audacious attack on the night of May 22 by six TTP terrorists on Pakistan’s major naval air station Mehran on Sharae Faysal in Karachi, 13 Pakistan Navy personnel including Lieutenant Yasser were killed. The Pakistan Navy commandoes were at the scene of terrorist attack in three minutes, but their jumping across the parameter with the help of ladders, and sneaking seven hundred meters undetected before firing rockets was a security lapse. In the battle which raged for 17 hours, the terrorists destroyed two out of the three P3C Orion sea surveillance aircraft. Pakistan Navy’s Quick Reaction Force responded fast, but not before the suicide terrorists had burnt to cinders Pak Navy’s two P-3C Orion’s.
The P3-C Orion is a vital operational asset of the Navy with over and underwater detection and destruction capability. With their loss Pakistan Navy has lost 66% of its sea search and detection capability. India is the clear beneficiary, with its war ships and submarines now able to roam freely undetected in the Arabian Sea, including Pakistan’s coastal waters.
There is strong suspicion that Ilyas Kashmiri the Al-Qaeda now dead in a US Predator attack was the commander and master mind of the Mehran bombing. Al-Qaeda and the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan terrorists are enemy mercenaries, funded, equipped, trained and launched by the Research and Analysis Wing – the RAW and Indian naval and military intelligence agencies. This terrorist group had planned carefully to take out Pakistan Navy’s surveillance capability, after reports that these P3-C’s were being used for surveillance over areas of North Waziristan infested by Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-Taliban Pakistan. The TTP claimed claimed responsibility for the Mehran bombing. It proves that defense installations, especially that of Pakistan Navy are inadequately protected, and the TTP terrorists consider them as soft and easy targets for revenge attacks.
The Mehran bombing is part of the Al-Qaeda-TTP revenge offensive to avenge Osama bin Laden’s killing by US Navy SEAL’s. With Al-Qaeda and TTP resolve to continue their revenge rampage, Pakistan will continue to suffer grievously, unless security is tightened, all loop holes are plugged, and intelligence agencies gear up by infiltrating the marauding terrorists. Pakistani intelligence agencies need to be one step ahead of the terrorists, and deal with the terror menace before it strikes. The revenge bombings being perpetrated in the name of dead Osama bin Laden must be stopped with the full power of the Pakistani state.
Will and imagination is required to evolve effective damage control strategy to avert suicide bombings. There is an urgent need for proper policy for bold tactical operations to uncover terrorist plans for suicide bombings. Parked aircraft at civil and military airfields are most vulnerable and the emboldened TTP terrorists are likely to follow up with similar attacks on civil and military airfields. At PAF airfields aircraft are normally kept in concrete covered pens. In the light of what happened at Mehran airbase on May 22, Pakistan Navy must immediately house its vital assets in bomb proof concrete buildings. The PAF should build more aircraft concrete pens, to ensure that fighter aircraft are safe from terrorist as well as enemy air attacks. But the answer lies in neutralizing the terrorists by negotiating with elements if possible and by powerful blows at their source to avert suicide bombings of military assets in the future. Unfortunately more similar terrorist bombings are likely sooner than expected, and with “red alerts“ plans must be formulated and implements to stop TTP terrorists suicide bombings and loss of life and property.
The Mehran attack and several other suicide bombings were masterminded by Ilyas Kashmiri, the notorious assassin, to avenge Osama bin Ladens killing by the US Navy Seals. He died on June 04 in a drone strike on a compound in South Waziristan. Ilyas had arrived at the compound 30 minutes before the Drone strike. Ilyas Kashmiri had perpetrated several barbaric terrorist attacks in the recent past, including the twin suicide bombings outside the Charsadda FC Recruits training Center in KP on Friday May 13. In these savage attacks, 90 people were killed including 80 young recruits, who were going home on summer leave. 120 innocent civilians were injured. This TTP terrorist carnage must not go unpunished. This again was a very serious security lapse considering that the TTP killers have bombed Frontier Constabulary camps, posts and recruit centers repeatedly. What have the senior FC officials done to protect their young soldiers, and what has KP provincial government or the agencies concerned done to track and bring to justice the TTP culprits engaged in mass slaughters?
The next revenge bombing was the destruction of the three story CID policed station on University road Peshawar on Wednesday May 25, which killed eight police constables, and injured thirty others. TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed responsibility. The CID is engaged in investigating militancy and is the prime target of TTP terrorist attacks. The CID building was exposed and improperly defended. It was leveled by the blast of the 300 kg explosive device, which exploded when the killer truck impacted the police station. Police stations and CID buildings are frequently attacked by TTP terrorists. CID capabilities and performance needs to be reviewed, and the KP government and officials concerned must take immediate action to shift police stations and CID offices so as make them safe from to terrorist bombings. The government must seriously consider construction of bomb and blast proof bunkers under the present police stations, to save the lives of police personnel. This advice may kindly be taken seriously. It will cost less and could be expeditiously completed.
In the next revenge car bombing attack on DPO’s office in Hangu, 36 people died, including ten police officials, and 50 civilians who were seriously injured. This was the sixth suicide bombing on police stations in Hangu during the last six months.
The May 02, attack by USN Navy Seals on Osama Bin Laden’s compound, his killing, kidnapping and dumping in the Arabian Sea, revealed big gaps in our intelligence, security and air defense capability, which need to be fixed. The SEALS assault proved that the American special forces can land, hit, kill, kidnap and destroy, whatever they want at will. Pakistan’s vital installations including the nuclear assets must be immediately dispersed and made secure and safe. The incompetence of our intelligence and our defensive vulnerability stands fully exposed, and must be reviewed and improved.
On May 23, The New York Times published the following eye opening report by Robert Mackey: “Before the May 22 attack at the Mehran naval-air base, Pakistan’s Navy boasted of role in the fight Against Taliban. To start with why did the Taliban militants carry out the elaborate raid on Pakistan’s Navy base by the Arabian Sea, 770 miles away from their strongholds in the mountains of North Waziristan? One Pakistani journalist pointed out that the Pakistan Navy’s Chief said recently that his service had used the American supplied P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft to help find and fight the Taliban insurgents in the mountains. TTP militants must have found in the Google Maps satellite images of the three P-3C Orion’s at the Mehran base at Karachi. Abdullah Saad a Pakistani journalist pointed out that Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Noman Bashir boasted during an interview on Pakistani television in March 2011 that his service had provided the P-3C surveillance aircraft and a contingent of Pakistan Navy Commando’s to operate hand in glove with the Pakistan Army in recent offensives against the militants in the tribal areas. This explains why the TTP militants had the navy on their hit list and bombed two Pakistan Navy buses and the Naval Air Base in Karachi. These were revenge attacks in response to Pakistan Navy operations in the tribal areas, and to avenge murder of Osama Bin Laden by the US Special Forces.
The vulnerability of military (Army-Navy and PAF) installations and expertise and audacity of the TTP fighters has become an extremely serious threat. Dead Osama is now haunting us. The war imposed on Pakistan by Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-Taliban-Pakistan is a challenge, which the Pakistani nation, the government and the military must confront and defeat with resolve, and patriotism.
Another very serious revenge attack was the target killing of Mr Hasan Al Qahtani the Saudi diplomat in Karachi. He was assassinated in cold blood in a targeted murder attack by armed motorcyclists during rush hours. Tehrik Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for this brutal revenge murder. Who were the mercenary killers, the mastermind and planners of this extremely serious barbarity. Considering the love and respect of the Pakistani nation for Saudi Arabia, the Sind government and the agencies concerned should have no respite till the criminals are brought to justice.
After the visit of Hillary Rodham Clinton the US Secretary of State and Admiral Mike Mullen Chairman of the US joint Chief of Staff, joint intelligence and operational strategy must be developed to deal with the revenge bombings. The advice of the US Secretary of State to take decisive action against militants must be accepted and treated with utmost seriousness. The irresponsible whimpering of government detractors, needs to stop. Hillary Clinton has rightly said that “Anti-Americanism will not end Pakistan’s problems”. American bashing by the Pakistani media has become counter productive considering the both Tehrik Taliban Pakistan and the American military have intensified attacks and are both are violating Pakistani territory and are killing innocent Pakistani’s. The media needs to rethink its strategy, and the government must evolve a new strategy to deal with growing American aggression. To move a resolution in the UN Security Council against intensified US aggression and mounting destruction must be seriously considered by the government of Pakistan. A resolution to this effect should be passed by the Parliament at the earliest, and the matter followed up vigorously.
But the more serious threat to national survival is the enhanced capability and resolve of the terrorists to kill Pakistani citizens, and soldiers indiscriminately, and destroy Pakistan’s military and civil assets. Time has come for the government and the military to take strongest possible action to crush terror for good, and save Pakistan from anarchy.
