10 Dead as Gunmen Hit Pakistani Army HQ

Third devastating attack in a week as Pakistan readies anti-Taliban offensive
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 10, 2009 6:39 AM CDT
10 Dead as Gunmen Hit Pakistani Army HQ
A Pakistani army helicopter flies as troops keep their positions at its headquarters after an attack by gunmen at the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009.   (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Gunmen wearing military uniforms and wielding assault rifles and grenades attacked Pakistan's army headquarters today, sparking a ferocious gun battle outside the capital that killed four of the assailants and at least six soldiers, authorities said. Two of the attackers managed to infiltrate the heavily fortified compound in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, and troops were trying to flush them out hours after the initial assault, the military said.

An AP reporter at the scene heard four gunshots from inside the compound long after an army spokesman said the situation was under control. The audacious assault was the third major militant attack in Pakistan in a week and came as the government readies an imminent offensive against Islamist militants. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. (More Pakistan military stories.)

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