Taliban attack on Pakistan base kills 29; 16 die in mosque

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A brazen Taliban attack on a Pakistani military base on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar killed 29 people on Friday, including 16 worshipers who were gunned down when the militants stormed a mosque inside the compound during prayers.

The attack triggered an hours-long firefight at the base and army spokesman Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said all 13 attackers were killed.

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

Shortly after the attack, a suspected U.S. drone strike hit a home in the South Waziristan tribal region, south of Peshawar, killing at least three militants and wounding five, according to two Pakistani security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

The Pakistan air force has been playing an important role in the fight against militants since June 2014, when the army launched the much-awaited operation in North Waziristan, a restive tribal area along the Afghanistan border.