by Our Foreign Desk

A BRAZEN Taliban attack on a Pakistani military base on the outskirts of Peshawar killed 20 people yesterday, including 16 worshippers who were gunned down when fighters stormed a mosque inside the compound during prayers.

The attack triggered an hours-long firefight at the base and Pakistani forces said they killed 13 attackers, though it was unclear how many were involved in the assault.

Apart from 16 slain inside the mosque, three guards employed with the air force and an army captain were also killed.

The attack was a major blow for Pakistan’s military, which stepped up operations against the Taliban following a horrific attack last December at a Peshawar school that killed 150 people, mostly children.

It also underscored the ability of the Taliban to stage spectacular attacks on targets linked to the country’s military and government.

In yesterday’s assault, the attackers first stormed the guardroom of the Badaber base, according to air force officials.

The base was established in 1960s as an air force facility but has mostly been used as a residential place for air force employees and officers from Peshawar.

Details about how the Taliban managed to make their way into the mosque, which is inside the compound walls, and gun down 16 people during prayers were sketchy.

It was also unclear if any of the attackers got away.

Shortly after the attack, a US drone strike hit a home in the South Waziristan tribal region, south of Peshawar, killing at least three militants and wounding five.