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Karachi airport under attack

June 8, 2014

Karachi airport has come under attack by gunmen, with at least five people reported to have been killed. All flights have been suspended. In a separate incident, 23 people were killed in a bombing.

https://p.dw.com/p/1CEex
Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan. Suspected Islamic militants armed with hand grenades and automatic weapons attacked the Jinnah International Airport early 09 June 2014 killing at least four airport security personnel while two attackers were killed. EPA/REHAN KHAN
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

Security officials were engaged in an ongoing battle with armed militants at Karachi's airport late on Sunday, according to Pakistani officials. Early reports indicated that at least four people had been killed.

It was not immediately clear at what time the attack had begun.

All flights were suspended until further notice, Pakistani officials said.

"Exchange of fire is continuing. We don't know the exact number of the attackers but suspect four to six terrorists have attacked the airport," senior police official Rao Muhammad Anwar told news agency AFP.

A spokesperson for the Airport Security Force, Shaukut Jamal, told the Associated Press news agency that the Pakistani military had been called to the scene.

Karachi lies on Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast, roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of its border with India.

In a separate incident, 23 Shiite pilgrims were reported to have been killed in a bombing in the province of Baluchistan, at a town close to the Iranian border.

kms,rc/crh (AP, AFP, dpa)