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Pakistani Taliban Prison Attack Frees Hundreds of Inmates

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Photo Credit: Saood Rehman/EPAHundreds of prisoners have been freed by Islamists in Pakistan after a spectacular assault by extremists on a jail in the western city of Dera Ismail Khan.

The attack, at around 11.30pm on Monday, involved one large bomb – so loud it rattled windows miles away – to blow a hole in the jail’s walls, followed by a mortar bombardment.

Around 70 gunmen, many dressed in police uniforms, then rushed through the gaps, throwing grenades and firing rocket-propelled grenades, killing six policemen and opening cells to free around 250 prisoners. Authorities said these included 24 wanted terrorists.

The attack, which came on the eve of voting for a new president in the troubled south Asian state, underlines once again the weakness of the Pakistani state and the inability of the country’s law and order agencies to maintain security.

One strike last week targeted an office of the main spy agency, the ISI, while another killed more than 50 Shia Muslims. Six Shia Muslim prisoners – the vast majority of Pakistanis are Sunni – were killed in Monday night’s assault.

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Pakistan Government in Jeopardy? 21 Soldiers Killed by Taliban in Brazen Attack

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WASHINGTON – The latest killing of 21 captured Pakistani troops by the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, has indicated a rising threat to the very authority of the Pakistani government, according to a report in Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

This followed an attack in early December on Peshawar Air Force Base which raised serious questions on the security of the country’s nuclear arsenal. While the attack proved unsuccessful, the brazenness raised further security and public concerns about the commitment of the militants to take down the government.

The air base itself is located close to the northwest tribal areas where Pakistani and U.S. forces have continuous firefights with the Taliban, who are attempting to threaten Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

The attack on the Peshawar Air Force Base isn’t the first such attack on a military facility. There also have been attacks on Minhas Air Force Base in Kamra where a squadron of U.S.-supplied F-16 fighter jets is located.

Ironically, publicity of the attacks apparently has encouraged the TTP to launch even more brazen attacks, with the idea of seeking to undermine the stability of the government and its military and create doubt in the public’s mind on both institutions maintaining order.

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