Battle with militants reaches climax at Pakistan base

 An overnight battle with militants at Pakistan's naval aviation base erupted again after dawn on Monday, with blasts ringing out and choppers hovering overhead as security forces launched a counter-offensive.The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the brazen attack on the base by 15-20 gunmen, saying it was to avenge the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on May 2.More than 30 troops entered the PNS Mehran base in the southern city of Karachi as the battle resumed in the morning and eight blasts were heard in the space of 30 minutes."The operation still continues. It is not over yet," said one security official, eight hours after the militants stormed the installation with guns and grenades, killing at least five people and blowing up a military aircraft.

Eleven people were wounded in the attack on one of the country's most heavily guarded military installations, where jet fuel tanks appeared to have caught fire and exploded.Those killed in the assault, which started at around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, included a sailor, three firefighters and an Army ranger."They were carrying guns, rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) and hand grenades. They hit the aircraft with an RPG," Navy spokesman Commander Salman Ali said.The Karachi attack evoked memories of an assault on Pakistan's army headquarters in the town of Rawalpindi in 2009, and revived concerns that even the most well-guarded installations in the country remain vulnerable to militants.Interior Minister Rehman Malik said earlier that the militants had attacked from the rear of the base.Media reports said the attackers had made their way in through a sewer line, but that was not confirmed. The military's goal was to capture as many of the attackers alive as possible, Pakistan television reported.Pakistani military and paramilitary reinforcements poured in after the attack began, with four vehicles carrying about 10 troops each moving into the base.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack."Such a cowardly act of terror could not deter the commitment of the government and people of Pakistan to fight terrorism," Gilani said in statement.