In the wee hours of November 4, 2023, at least 10 fighter Aircrafts were destroyed at Mianwali Airbase in Pakistan which includes Chinese Chengdu J-7 & K-8.
Heavily armed Taliban-linked Tehreek-e-Jihad terrorists entered the Mianwali Air Force base in Pakistan’s Punjab province using ladders. However, Pakistan forces managed to neutralize the terrorists, but after the damage. It is to be noted that Mianwali is an operational air base in Pakistan. The base was under siege for 8 hours.
Pakistan military released the videos showing the dead bodies of the armed terrorists. On the other hand, terrorists claiming responsibility was released which showed several aircraft were on fire. F-7PG and one K-8 were among them.
J-7 is a single-engine, lightweight fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China.
The Karakorum-8 (K-8) is a single-engine, advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft designed and manufactured jointly by Hongdu Aviation Industry Corporation (HAIC) of China and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
The Tehreek-i-Jihad first announced its presence in Pakistan in 2011 and attacked PNS Mehran, the headquarters of the Pakistan Navy’s Naval Air Arm and the most populous Pakistani military installation, located near the PAF’s Faisal Air Force Base of Karachi, Sindh.
On February 23, 2023, by killing one serviceman and injuring another in Balochistan province.
In May, 6 Tehreek-i-Jihad militants and 7 soldiers were killed in Muslim Bagh’s military compound in another district of Balochistan.
The outfit has posed a significant security challenge to the Pakistan military.