Intelligence agency foils major terror bid targeting Karachi's PAF Masroor Airbase

• The attack involved nine militants, including five Afghan nationals.
• Attackers planned to destroy aircraft, infrastructure, hold airbase.
• The plot involved thirteen months of planning and surveillance.

ISLAMABAD: In a significant breakthrough, one of the leading intelligence agencies has thwarted a major terror plot aimed at launching a deadly assault on the strategically vital PAF Masroor Airbase in Karachi, sources from the intelligence community revealed.

According to officials, the complex plan was masterminded by a commander of the Afghanistan-based terror group Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK), who leads the group’s notorious suicide squad. 

The plot involved nine heavily trained terrorists — five of whom were Afghan nationals — led by a high-profile FAK commander already wanted in multiple terrorism cases.

The terrorists, who had recently infiltrated Pakistan from Afghanistan, intended to breach the airbase through a pre-identified point, seize control of the facility, destroy aircraft and infrastructure, and hold the base for as long as possible. Their goal was to inflict maximum damage and engage in a prolonged gunbattle until death.

The operation was reportedly under direct supervision of FAK’s top leadership based in Afghanistan and involved nearly thirteen months of planning. The terrorists had taken up accommodation near the airbase and conducted extensive reconnaissance of the area.

However, the intelligence agency had been closely monitoring their movements. When the attackers were about to initiate the final phase of their plot, the agency launched a swift, covert, and coordinated operation, arresting the suspects from various locations across the country.

The agency’s action not only protected the strategic airbase but also crippled a key FAK terror network involved in several previous attacks — including the November 2024 assault on Chinese engineers at Liberty Textile Mills in Karachi’s SITE area. 

The same FAK commander captured in the current operation is believed to have masterminded that attack before fleeing to Afghanistan.

Authorities describe him as an IED expert, trained in Afghanistan and a former militant alongside the Afghan Taliban during their conflict with Nato and ISAF forces.

Preliminary investigations suggest the involvement of hostile intelligence agencies, which are allegedly funding and equipping terrorist elements in an attempt to destabilise Pakistan. Officials pointed to a similar terror plot foiled last October, in which FAK and the hostile agencies had conspired to sabotage a major international event in Islamabad.

Despite such threats, Pakistan’s armed forces, intelligence services, and law enforcement agencies remain steadfast in their mission to protect the nation. Officials reaffirmed their commitment to rooting out terrorism in all its forms and safeguarding national security through coordinated, relentless vigilance.

Originally published in The News