We have claimed the responsibility of last night's karachi airport attack. ttp's spokesman Shahidullah Shahid.
— omar khorasani (@omarkhorasani1)June 9, 2014
Ten militants disguised as police entered the premises of the Jinnah International Airport. Police uniforms are easy to find in Karachi and many retailers don’t check the credentials of people buying them.The men never reached the runways, but engaged in a lengthy gun battle with security forces that left several officers and some airline workers dead. Pakistan's largest airport was shut down during the attack, as passengers were moved to safe areas and flights were diverted.This attack was the revenge of martyrdom our leader Shaheed Hakimullah mehsud and brutal killings of ttp's prisoners in jails…
— omar khorasani (@omarkhorasani1)June 9, 2014
The attack comes on the heels of the faltering peace deal between the Pakistani Taliban and the government. This has been deeply criticized both by the general public, because it was perceived as legitimizing the militants, and by other radical groups, as well as segments of the TTP itself.The Taliban had repeatedly threatened retaliation over a series of government military strikes, particularly in North Waziristan, a Taliban stronghold.Perhaps the clearest daytime pic showing the proximity of the burning building to the planes — omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi)June 9, 2014
Foreign fighters sheltered in Pakistan’s tribal regions have expressed concern about a possible peace deal between the TTP and the government.Pakistani authorities suggested some of the gunmen might have been Uzbek, according to several reports."There doesn’t seem to be clarity on the origin and nationality of the attackers, there’s speculation that they are of Uzbek origin but it’s not clear," Faiysal AliKhan, a fellow at the New America Foundation, told VICE News. "Although the TTP have claimed responsibility it doesn’t explain why there's all this talk of foreign militants coming in."A surge of Uzbek fighters joined the Afghan Taliban in the 1990s. They’re now easily the highest population of foreign jihadis in Pakistan.Those fighters have not taken too well to the prospect of a government deal with the TTP — which would put their own status in Pakistan in jeopardy.“We can’t go back. We face too many problems, even on the way back into Uzbekistan,” Muhammad Usman, a member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan based in Waziristan, told VICE News in May. “Our government will not give us a safe passage, and on top of that, we didn’t leave Uzbekistan for a cushy life. We left for jihad. We went where we had the opportunity to fight for Allah, and we will fight in Pakistan, in the Middle East, any part of the world.”'There doesn’t seem to be clarity on the origin and nationality of the attackers, there’s speculation that they are of Uzbek origin but it’s not clear.'
If the government continues to bombard innocent tribal people's homes then their homes will be also insecure.
— omar khorasani (@omarkhorasani1)June 9, 2014
"This was a huge attack on our major airport, and every day there have been incidents taking place across the country, not just restricted to any one province," AliKhan said. "This is probably going to increase in the coming months, as we continue to see this turmoil in the country. One can expect more violence, and more reactions from these various anti-state groups.”Osama Motiwala contributed reporting from Karachi.Follow Alice Speri on Twitter:@alicesperiPhoto via InstagramMedia owners, hateful journalists and anchors should keep in mind that our Fidaeen ( sacrificers ) can easily reach your offices.
— omar khorasani (@omarkhorasani1)June 9, 2014