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| Taliban Hit Airport Again After Pakistani Airstrikes | Taliban Hit Airport Again After Pakistani Airstrikes |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| LONDON — Retaliating against a new wave of military airstrikes, Pakistani Taliban gunmen on Tuesday attacked security forces at Karachi’s international airportfor the second time this week, underscoring their capacity to create mayhem in the country’s largest city. | |
| The assault, in which at least two gunmen opened fire on a guard post at the airport perimeter, caused no casualties and ended with the gunmen fleeing into a nearby slum. By contrast, at least 36 people died in the first attack on Sunday, which lasted through the night. | The assault, in which at least two gunmen opened fire on a guard post at the airport perimeter, caused no casualties and ended with the gunmen fleeing into a nearby slum. By contrast, at least 36 people died in the first attack on Sunday, which lasted through the night. |
| But the brief shootout did cause Jinnah International Airport, Pakistan’s busiest, to temporarily close for the second time in 48 hours. And coming hours after Pakistani air force jets struck a militant sanctuary in the tribal belt, it compounded the sense that Pakistan’s war against the Taliban was rapidly escalating. | But the brief shootout did cause Jinnah International Airport, Pakistan’s busiest, to temporarily close for the second time in 48 hours. And coming hours after Pakistani air force jets struck a militant sanctuary in the tribal belt, it compounded the sense that Pakistan’s war against the Taliban was rapidly escalating. |
| “The military wants to sort the Taliban out as soon as possible,” said Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad. “They want to set things right in the tribal areas.” | “The military wants to sort the Taliban out as soon as possible,” said Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Islamabad. “They want to set things right in the tribal areas.” |
| Fixing the tumultuous tribal belt, however, has at least momentarily become linked to the Taliban’s program of bold attacks in mainstream Pakistan. | Fixing the tumultuous tribal belt, however, has at least momentarily become linked to the Taliban’s program of bold attacks in mainstream Pakistan. |
| The second assault on the Karachi airport started Tuesday when at least two gunmen riding motorcycles opened fire on a security post staffed by the Airport Security Force, a paramilitary force that guards the airport and that lost at least 11 members in the Taliban’s previous assault. | The second assault on the Karachi airport started Tuesday when at least two gunmen riding motorcycles opened fire on a security post staffed by the Airport Security Force, a paramilitary force that guards the airport and that lost at least 11 members in the Taliban’s previous assault. |
| The shooting occurred on the perimeter of the force’s training and residential complex, which is beside the airport, barely a mile from the main terminal. | The shooting occurred on the perimeter of the force’s training and residential complex, which is beside the airport, barely a mile from the main terminal. |
| Guards at the checkpoint returned fire, the attackers were pursued into the nearby slum by paramilitary troops who had rushed to respond to the attack. Several television journalists followed the soldiers, drawing criticism on social media from Pakistanis who accused them of endangering the operation. | Guards at the checkpoint returned fire, the attackers were pursued into the nearby slum by paramilitary troops who had rushed to respond to the attack. Several television journalists followed the soldiers, drawing criticism on social media from Pakistanis who accused them of endangering the operation. |
| A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack within hours, calling it retaliation for Pakistani military airstrikes in the northwestern mountains that morning. “We are back to A.S.F. academy,” said the spokesman, Omar Khorasani, referring to the Airport Security Force, via a Twitter account that is believed to be his own. | A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack within hours, calling it retaliation for Pakistani military airstrikes in the northwestern mountains that morning. “We are back to A.S.F. academy,” said the spokesman, Omar Khorasani, referring to the Airport Security Force, via a Twitter account that is believed to be his own. |
| With Karachi troubled by a sense of nervous uncertainty since Sunday’s attack, senior security officials tried to play down the episode. “It was not an attack as such,” said Col. Tahir Ali of the Airport Security Force. “They came and fired. We cannot take any risk.” | With Karachi troubled by a sense of nervous uncertainty since Sunday’s attack, senior security officials tried to play down the episode. “It was not an attack as such,” said Col. Tahir Ali of the Airport Security Force. “They came and fired. We cannot take any risk.” |
| The firefight came on the heels of the one on Sunday, when a team of 10 attackers slipped into the airport’s cargo bay and V.I.P. area, where they fought a blazing battle with security forces through the night. | The firefight came on the heels of the one on Sunday, when a team of 10 attackers slipped into the airport’s cargo bay and V.I.P. area, where they fought a blazing battle with security forces through the night. |
| The death toll rose to 36 on Tuesday after the authorities recovered the bodies of seven cargo workers, charred beyond recognition, from a cold storage unit where they had tried to hide on Sunday. | The death toll rose to 36 on Tuesday after the authorities recovered the bodies of seven cargo workers, charred beyond recognition, from a cold storage unit where they had tried to hide on Sunday. |
| Flights to and from Karachi were suspended for a time after Tuesday’s shootout, but resumed later. | Flights to and from Karachi were suspended for a time after Tuesday’s shootout, but resumed later. |
| None of the international airlines flying to Karachi have announced any change to their service, but several said they were watching the situation. | None of the international airlines flying to Karachi have announced any change to their service, but several said they were watching the situation. |
| Attention is now turning to the military response. | Attention is now turning to the military response. |
| Tuesday’s airstrikes targeted militant compounds in the Tirah Valley, a remote part of the Khyber tribal district, where the Taliban have allied with Mangal Bagh, a local warlord. | Tuesday’s airstrikes targeted militant compounds in the Tirah Valley, a remote part of the Khyber tribal district, where the Taliban have allied with Mangal Bagh, a local warlord. |
| The alliance concerns the Pakistani military because of Tirah’s proximity to the Khyber Pass, a major border crossing with Afghanistan, and the army has mounted several attacks on Taliban positions in the Khyber district so far this year. | The alliance concerns the Pakistani military because of Tirah’s proximity to the Khyber Pass, a major border crossing with Afghanistan, and the army has mounted several attacks on Taliban positions in the Khyber district so far this year. |
| A military spokesman said that 25 militants had been killed in the airstrikes, but there was no independent confirmation of the toll. | A military spokesman said that 25 militants had been killed in the airstrikes, but there was no independent confirmation of the toll. |
| Some analysts said that the airstrikes, which followed a public split in the Taliban leadership, offer further proof that the military is preparing for a concerted operation against the Taliban in their tribal-belt havens. Mr. Gul, the analyst, said an army offensive would be tacitly supported by three significant militant factions in North Waziristan, including one commanded by a breakaway Taliban commander known as Sajna. | Some analysts said that the airstrikes, which followed a public split in the Taliban leadership, offer further proof that the military is preparing for a concerted operation against the Taliban in their tribal-belt havens. Mr. Gul, the analyst, said an army offensive would be tacitly supported by three significant militant factions in North Waziristan, including one commanded by a breakaway Taliban commander known as Sajna. |
| Their declared enemy now, he said, was a group of militant “irreconcilables” headed by the leader of the remnant Pakistani Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah, and warlords like Mr. Bagh. | Their declared enemy now, he said, was a group of militant “irreconcilables” headed by the leader of the remnant Pakistani Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah, and warlords like Mr. Bagh. |
| Pakistan’s sudden haste in confronting the Taliban stems from the effective collapse of peace talks led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government, but it may also have a geostrategic dimension. | Pakistan’s sudden haste in confronting the Taliban stems from the effective collapse of peace talks led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government, but it may also have a geostrategic dimension. |
| Pakistan has come under increasing pressure from China to deal with ethnic Uighur and Uzbek militant leaders who are hiding in the tribal belt and support an Islamist insurgency in western China. China is a major strategic and economic partner for Pakistan, and now the government realizes that “if it wants to protect Pakistan’s interests, it needs to protect Chinese interests,” Mr. Gul said. | Pakistan has come under increasing pressure from China to deal with ethnic Uighur and Uzbek militant leaders who are hiding in the tribal belt and support an Islamist insurgency in western China. China is a major strategic and economic partner for Pakistan, and now the government realizes that “if it wants to protect Pakistan’s interests, it needs to protect Chinese interests,” Mr. Gul said. |
| The infighting and conflicting aims and allies among various Taliban factions have also raised tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. On Tuesday, the Afghan Foreign Ministry reported that the Pakistani government had summoned the Afghan ambassador in Islamabad, Janan Mosazai, to complain because some of the Pakistani Taliban’s leadership is sheltered in eastern Afghanistan. | The infighting and conflicting aims and allies among various Taliban factions have also raised tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. On Tuesday, the Afghan Foreign Ministry reported that the Pakistani government had summoned the Afghan ambassador in Islamabad, Janan Mosazai, to complain because some of the Pakistani Taliban’s leadership is sheltered in eastern Afghanistan. |
| In Karachi, the discovery of seven more bodies raised new questions about the extent of the damage that had been reported by the authorities, and the quality of security at the airport there. | In Karachi, the discovery of seven more bodies raised new questions about the extent of the damage that had been reported by the authorities, and the quality of security at the airport there. |
| Fellow workers said the men, who worked for a private cargo handling business, had fled into the storage area as the gun battle between security forces and militants began Sunday night. | Fellow workers said the men, who worked for a private cargo handling business, had fled into the storage area as the gun battle between security forces and militants began Sunday night. |
| Younas Khan, a trade union leader, said in an interview that the men had been in continuous phone contact with him until about 3 a.m. Monday. | Younas Khan, a trade union leader, said in an interview that the men had been in continuous phone contact with him until about 3 a.m. Monday. |
| But a fierce blaze swept through the cargo building during the fight. The next day, following a security sweep by the military, the airport was reopened to commercial flights. But the dead men, apparently unaccounted for, were only discovered 24 hours later. | But a fierce blaze swept through the cargo building during the fight. The next day, following a security sweep by the military, the airport was reopened to commercial flights. But the dead men, apparently unaccounted for, were only discovered 24 hours later. |