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The audacious attack on Badaber Air Base on Friday in the northwestern city of Peshawar is the deadliest terror attack on a Pakistani military facility this year.
The incident shows that it is business as usual in the cat-and-mouse game being played between Pakistani military force and terror outfits since the former launched a major military operation against the latter in June 2014, in which over three thousand terrorists have been killed thus far.
The attack shows that the jihadist forces may be down but are definitely not out despite the pummelling they have taken from Pakistan’s armed forces in the past 15 months. The prompt claim of responsibility by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for the attack shows its desperation to prove a point to the Pakistani forces and also convey an "all is well" message to its cadre and the potential recruits.
Yet, one can discern signs of the weakening grip of the TTP and its allies. There are several pointers to that effect.
The first and foremost is the selection of the target itself. While it is true that Badaber air base is a high value target for terrorists, it is also a fact that this air base had been non-functional for years. It was being used only as a residential complex by the Pakistan Air Force stationed in the area. This makes it a comparatively softer target for terrorists from among various military targets.
Two, the TTP suicide unit that carried out the Badaber attack failed to dig in its heels and was quickly neutralised. This is a far cry from the previous several terror attacks on Pakistani military facilities, where attackers managed to engage in a siege of a facility for a much longer time.
Three, the attackers failed to inflict as much damage as they had planned and prepared for. Terror attacks on Pakistani military facilities have often been messier and bloodier. (Here's a quick review of major attacks in Pakistan in last six years)
All this shows that the Pakistani military establishment has clearly acquired an upper hand over terrorists and the latter’s fighting capability has been substantially degraded.
This is a good sign for Pakistani military. However, the Badaber attack also points to the urgent steps that Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif needs to take. He can make his own war against terror more effective and meaningful only when he increases deployments in Af-Pak region, and takes genuine measures to reduce border tensions with India. Putting a stop to mindless bloodletting on borders with India will inevitably give him more elbow room to wage a fuller and decisive war against terror outfits.
It is for Pakistan to decide which is its bigger enemy: India or its own Frankenstein's monsters which have been eating into Pakistan for years. Time is at a premium.
