The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for an attack on Karachi airport in revenge for their late leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike in November.

The initial assault at Jinnah international airport in Pakistan's southern port city began late on Sunday and raged until dawn, when the military said that at least 24 people – including all 10 attackers – had been killed.



Equipped with suicide vests, grenades and rocket-launchers, they had battled security forces in one of the most brazen attacks in years in Pakistan's biggest city.

Fighting resumed early on Monday morning when gunshots could be heard inside the airport and rangers and elite commandos were seen rushing inside. Officials later said Pakistani forces were in control of the airport and would hand it back to civilian authority.

Pakistani authorities, who suggested the gunmen appeared to be Uzbeks, believe the group intended to destroy or hijack aircraft before they were stopped by security personnel and commandos.

"Three militants blew themselves up and seven were killed by security forces," Rizwan Akhtar, the regional head of the paramilitary Rangers, said in televised remarks.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A convoy of Pakistani security personnel enter the Jinnah international airport Photograph: Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images

A Pakistani Taliban (TTP) spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid, claimed the attack was carried out in revenge for Meshud's death.

"Pakistan used peace talks as a tool of war, it killed hundreds of innocent tribal women and children. This is our first attack to avenge the death of Hakimullah Mehsud," he told AFP.

"We have yet to take revenge for the deaths of hundreds of innocent tribal women and children in Pakistani air strikes. It's just the beginning, we have taken revenge for one, we have to take revenge for hundreds."

Umar Media, the official media wing of the TTP, claimed on its Facebook page that just six militants had attacked the airport. "The biggest reason for attacking Karachi airport is because it serves as the biggest air logistics centre supplying goods for the crusaders' war in Afghanistan and Pakistan," a statement claimed

The attack came as talks between Pakistan and the Taliban, which began earlier this year, hit an impasse.The assault will raise fresh concerns about Pakistan's shaky security situation, and questions about how militants were able to penetrate the airport, which serves one of the world's biggest cities.

Officials said the gunmen entered from two sides of the airport at about 11pm local time on Sunday – the terminal used for the hajj pilgrimage, and an engineering section close to an old terminal that is no longer in use.



An AFP reporter witnessed three huge blasts as suicide bombers detonated their explosives.

Smoke was seen billowing from the airport as fires burned close to planes parked on the runway, while militants, some dressed in army uniform, clashed with the airport's security forces, who were backed by police, paramilitary squads and commandos.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Smoke is seen at Jinnah international airport. Photograph: Arshad/REX

It was unclear if the fire was deliberately started by the attackers or resulted from fighting with the army troops who rushed to the scene.



Officials inside the airport said at least three planes had been damaged during the fighting, however. Abid Qaimkhani, a spokesman for the aviation authority, said some planes had been hit by gunfire, but said that none had caught fire.

Chief minister of Sindh province, Qaim Ali Shah, said the attackers intended to destroy some of the aircraft and buildings but were stopped before they could complete their attack. "They were well trained. Their plan was very well thought out," he told reporters.

One senior Pakistani intelligence official, speaking to the Washington Post on condition of anonymity, said some of the militants tried to hijack a plane, but were unsuccessful.

After the attack was quelled, a bomb disposal expert in full protective gear was seen walking from the site carrying a suicide vest and a bag full of hand grenades.



Broken glass and spent gun magazines littered the engineering section where the first exchange of gunfire took place as smoke from grenade attacks began to die down.

"I heard fierce firing and then saw the terrorists firing at security forces ... Thank God I am alive, this is very scary," said eyewitness Sarmad Hussain, an employee of national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

Syed Saim Rizvi, who was on board a plane on the runway, tweeted: "Huge blast!!!! I do not know whats going on outside – heavy firing started again – full panic on board!"

The attack is an embarrassing blow to the government on several levels. It will once again highlight concerns the country is not able to protect sensitive targets from militant groups fighting against the Pakistani state.



Similar raids in the past have been claimed by Taliban militants who rose up against the Pakistani state in 2007 in an insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives.



In 2011, Taliban gunmen attacked the Mehran naval base, which lies close to the airport, destroying two US-made Orion aircraft and killing 10 personnel in a 17-hour siege.

The group also carried out a raid on Pakistan's military headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi in 2009, leaving 23 dead including 11 troops and three hostages.

Pakistani security officials take positions after militants attack Jinnah International Airport. Photograph: SHAHZAIB AKBER/EPA

Security measures at the airport have been criticised in the past. The outer perimeter of the building is guarded by security forces armed with dowsing rods similar to the fake bomb detectors sold around the world by British conman Jim McCormick, jailed for fraud last year.



The attack could also deal a major blow to business confidence, which had begun to perk up following the election of industrialist Nawaz Sharif as prime minister.

Sharif's faction of the Pakistan Muslim League are anxious to attract foreign investors back to Pakistan, many of whom were scared away from the country by a sharp deterioration in internal security.

Karachi, the home of key industries including finance, is particularly important for the economic growth he vowed to bring to the country.

Sharif has long wanted to attract foreign airlines back to Pakistan, including British Airways, which cut its services following major terrorist attacks.

The airport assault will cast attention on the government's controversial decision to negotiate with the Taliban instead of using greater force.

Sharif's government began negotiations with the umbrella militant group TTP in February, with a ceasefire beginning on 1 March but breaking down a month later.