Pakistani troops kill all 4 attackers at army HQ

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani officials say a fierce gunbattle outside army headquarters near Islamabad has ended with the killing of all four attackers.

The assault Saturday morning in Rawalpindi lasted nearly 45 minutes, according to an intelligence official and a senior government official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The officials said troops killed all four gunmen who had tried to break in to the army compound and several soldiers were killed and wounded in the assault.

The audacious attack was the third major assault in a week and showed Islamist militants’ ability to strike at the very heart of Pakistan’s security apparatus despite recent military operations against them.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A team of gunmen brandishing assault rifles and grenades tried to break into Pakistan’s army headquarters on Saturday, sparking a raging gunbattle with troops outside the capital of Islamabad, police said.

The audacious assault was the third major militant attack in Pakistan a week and came as the government said it was planning an imminent offensive against Islamist militants in their strongholds in the rugged mountains along the border with Afghanistan.

It showed that the militants retain the ability to strike at the very heart of Pakistan’s security apparatus despite recent military operations against their forces and the killing of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in a CIA drone attack in August.

The gunmen drove in a white van up to the army compound in the garrison city of Rawalpindi shortly before noon and tried to force their way inside before being stopped by soldiers, said Mohammed Jamil, a police official.

The heavily armed attackers jumped out of van, took up positions throughout the area and began firing at the troops, he said.

One gunman hurled a grenade, and others fired sporadically from their hiding places at those manning the checkpoint at the compound’s entrance, said a senior military official inside. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

He said top army officials were trapped inside the compound.

Police and troops backed by helicopter gunships cordoned off the area, surrounding the estimated six attackers to prevent them from escaping, police said.

The gunbattle was the latest in a string of attacks on Pakistani cities, following a car bombing that killed 49 on Friday in the northwestern city of Peshawar and the bombing of a U.N. aid agency Monday that killed five in Islamabad.

Rawalpindi is filled with security checkpoints and police roadblocks, and it was not immediately clear how a vehicle filled with gunman managed to evade detection. Army spokesmen did not answer calls for comment.