PAKISTANI COMMANDOS cornered a team of Taliban militants in a naval base Monday after the insurgents raided the complex the night before, destroying two US-supplied surveillance aircraft and killing at least 12 security officers, the navy said.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault in the city of Karachi, saying it was part of their revenge for the May 2 American raid that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and that their men were under orders to fight until the death.

“They do not want to come out alive, they have gone there to embrace martyrdom,” said spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan.

Between 10 and 15 insurgents armed with grenades, rockets and automatic weapons stormed Naval Station Mehran late Sunday before splitting into smaller groups, setting off explosions and hiding in the sprawling facility. Some or all of them were still holding out 12 hours later, navy spokesman Irfan ul Haq said.

The raid was one of the most audacious in years of militant violence in Pakistan. The insurgent’s ability to penetrate the high-security facility rattled a military establishment already humiliated by the unilateral American raid on Bin Laden, and raised the possibility they had inside help.

At least 11 navy personnel and one paramilitary ranger were killed, while 14 security forces were wounded, Haq said, adding it was unclear how many militant casualties there were.

The attack resembled the 2008 siege of Mumbai, India, and a number of other similar raids in Pakistan in which heavily armed squads of insurgents go out in teams, occupy a property and fight to the death. It was one of the first such strike in Karachi, the country’s largest city and economic hub.

When asked about reports of hostages, Haq said the militants were “not in possession of anything.” By Monday morning, the militants were confined to an office building, trading fire with commandos, he said. Navy helicopters were flying over the base.

“Because of the presence of several assets on the base, the operation is being carried out in a cautious, smart way,” Haq said, referring to military aircraft. “That’s why it’s taking so long.”

The unilateral US raid on bin Laden’s compound in the northwest Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad has triggered a strong backlash here against Washington as well as rare domestic criticism of the armed forces for failing to detect or prevent the American operation. Pakistani leaders insist they had no idea the al-Qaeda boss had been hiding in Abbottabad.

In claiming responsibility, Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan said the attack was part of their planned response to the death of the al-Qaeda chief, and that Pakistan is the top target. The Pakistani Taliban hate the government in Islamabad because of its alliance with the US and because, under American prodding, the Pakistani army has staged offensives aimed at its insurgents.

This is the third major attack the group has claimed since the bin Laden killing, including a car bombing that slightly injured American consulate workers in the northwest city of Peshawar and a twin-suicide attack that killed around 90 Pakistani paramilitary police recruits.

- AP