Islamabad: Three suicide attackers tried to storm an army base in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday but security guards foiled their attempt and shot them dead, police said.
The attackers, wearing suicide jackets and carrying arms, tried to enter the army base in Mardan city, 60 km northeast of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, said Deputy Inspector General of Police Akhtar Ali Shah.
Three soldiers injured in the attack were taken to a military hospital in Mardan, he said, adding that they were in a stable condition. Guards at the gate of the army base spotted the attackers and opened fire on them.
Their suicide jackets exploded as a result of the firing, Shah said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. The government blames the Taliban for such attacks. Shah said the body parts of the attackers were collected and sent for DNA tests to establish their identity.
The attackers clambered over the wall around the army base and were then spotted by guards. Both sides exchanged fire, he added.
The attackers had about 24 kg of explosives in their suicide jackets. Police had found an identity card which could help identify the men, Shah said.
Police and security forces launched a search operation in the area and detained several people for questioning, police sources said. TV news channels initially reported that a group of eight suicide attackers targeted the army base and that three of them blew themselves up while five were killed by the security forces in an exchange of fire.
Taliban militants had been active in Mardan, the second largest city in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, since last year but they were weakened as a result of the army operation in the nearby Swat valley. In May last year, a suicide bomber targeted the Mardan army base's market and killed at least 13 people, including four soldiers.
This was the second terrorist attack in Mardan as three persons were killed in a car bombing in April last year. The army has declared victory in the offensive against militants in the northwest but today's attack showed that their network in the region is still intact. PTI
