Gunmen attack Pakistan air base, 8 dead

KAMRA, Pakistan (AFP) - Militants armed with guns and rocket launchers stormed a key Pakistani air force base before dawn on Thursday, sparking hours of heavy clashes that killed eight people, officials said.   

Two security officials were among the dead at PAF Base Minhas in Kamra, again showing that suspected Islamists can penetrate sensitive military sites in the nuclear-armed country, which has been battling a Taleban insurgency for five years.   

The Air Force confirmed five hours after the attack began that all six gunmen had been killed at the base, home to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex that assembles Mirage and, with Chinese support, JF-17 fighter jets.   

“Two security officials and all six attackers have been killed,” a spokesman told AFP by telephone.