Islamabad, Nov 4 (IANS): At least nine militants were killed on Saturday after a terror attack at a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) training base in Mianwali was foiled earlier in the day, the military’s media wing said.

In an update, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed that the “combing and clearance operation at PAF Training Airbase Mianwali has been concluded and all nine terrorists have been sent to hell”, reports Dawn news.

It added that the operation was launched to “eliminate any potential threat in the surrounding area following the cowardly and failed terrorist attack on the base this morning”.

The ISPR further said that no damage had been done to any of the PAF’s functional operational assets, while only some damage was done to three already phased-out non-operational aircraft during the attack.

“The prompt and professional conclusion of the operation serves as a stark reminder to all enemies of peace that Pakistan’s armed forces remain vigilant and are fully capable of defending the homeland from any threat,” Dawn news quoted the media wing as saying.

In an earlier statement, the ISPR had said that “some damage to three already grounded aircraft and a fuel bowser also occurred” during the attack and that it had launched a “comprehensive joint clearance and combing operation”.

Meanwhile in a statement to the media, theTehreek-i-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), a newly emerged militant group that is an affiliate of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack.

In recent months, Pakistan has witnessed an increase in terrorist attacks, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, Dawn news reported.

Last month, the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said the number of militant attacks in August was the highest tally for monthly strikes in almost nine years.

There were 99 attacks across the country, the highest number in a single month since November 2014, the PICSS had said.