Taliban claim links to fatal attacks

Hours later in northern Pakistan, gunmen forced 20 Shiite Muslims off buses, lined them up and killed them.

And, at about the same time, seven US troops were among 11 people who died when a Blackhawk helicopter came down in southern Afghanistan – although Taliban claims to have shot down the aircraft had not yesterday been confirmed.

The incidents emphasise daunting challenges facing Pakistan – a still-potent threat from the Taliban and sectarian violence in a Sunni majority country where Shiite Muslims often feel under attack – while combat in neighbouring Afghanistan continues.

A Nato spokesman said four Afghans – a civilian interpreter and three members of the Afghan security forces – were also killed when the helicopter came down in Kandahar province.

Taliban raids on Pakistan’s military bases are rare but the target, about 25 miles from Islamabad, also houses an arms factory.

Some experts suspect the base is linked to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal because of the weapons development and the presence of jets that could be used to deploy the bombs. The army has denied the base has any such links.

The safety of the country’s nuclear weapons remains a major concern for the US. Western experts say Pakistan has about 100 nuclear weapons and is rapidly expanding its arsenal.

The militants, some of whom were wearing explosives strapped to their bodies, attacked the base with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.

At least one rocket hit a hangar, damaging an aircraft inside.

Security forces, backed by elite commandos, fought the militants for two hours. One soldier and nine militants were killed.

The Taliban said it was revenge for the death of group leader Baitullah Mehsud in a US drone strike in 2009 and the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden last year.