Pakistan Defense News

ISLAMABAD — The Pakistan Navy has test-fired a new land attack missile in the North Arabian Sea off the coast of Pakistan this week. According to a Navy news release, the test included “firings of a variety of modern missiles including the maiden Land Attack Missile (LAM)” and the tests “demonstrated lethality, precision and efficacy” of the Navy’s weapon systems as well as the “high state of readiness and professionalism” of the Navy. The release also stated the test “reaffirms credibility of deterrence at sea.” A Navy spokesman confirmed “multiple platforms were engaged” in firing missiles. The firings took place on Dec. 19 and 21. Though the Navy has a variety of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles, the Navy would not confirm the identity of the land-attack missile when asked. Mansoor Ahmed from Quaid-e-Azam University’s Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, who specializes in Pakistan’s national deterrent and delivery program, believes the missile is one of two varie...

PESHAWAR:  Militants launched a brazen assault on one of Peshawar’s most tightly guarded installations late Saturday, killing four people, wounding dozens more and forcing the city to go in lockdown. The attack on Bacha Khan International Airport, which is attached to Peshawar Air Force (PAF) base, was marked by a prolonged exchange of gunfire between militants and army troops. The militants allegedly planned to enter the airport with suicide vests and an explosives laden vehicle in two separate groups. Five militants were felled on the spot, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), while a search operation continued late into the night for any possible auxiliary elements. However, an earlier statement by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said that four terrorists have been killed and one injured. “Four suicide jackets have been defused… a Joint Operation consisting of all security agencies is in progress to clear the area,” it said in a written statement. The sea...

WASHINGTON — Despite an easing of tensions with the United States, Pakistan is persistently undermining security in Afghanistan by permitting safe havens for insurgents, a Pentagon report said Dec. 10. In a twice-a-year war assessment mandated by Congress, the Defense Department said that the 68,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and their allies had succeeded in preventing Taliban advances while limiting civilian casualties. But Taliban havens across the border in Pakistan, the limited capacity of the Afghan government and “endemic corruption” pose the greatest risks as the United States prepares to pull out troops by the end of 2014, the Pentagon said. The report noted the better U.S. relations with Pakistan, which agreed in July to reopen Western forces’ supply routes into Afghanistan. Pakistan had refused access after a U.S. border strike killed 24 of its troops in November 2011. “However, Pakistan’s continued acceptance of sanctuaries for Afghan-focused insurgents and failure to...