19 Killed In Attack On Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, Taliban Claim Responsibility (Updated)

Ten gunmen, some dressed as police officers, attacked the airport's old terminal, which is primarily used for cargo and VIP flights.

[UPDATE 6/9] The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for an overnight siege of the VIP terminal at Jinnah International Airport that killed 19 people, the New York Times reports. Reports indicate that ten gunmen, some dressed as police officers, stormed the airport's old terminal.

Shahidullah Shahid, a Taliban spokesperson, said the attack was "a response to recent attacks by the government," while the AP reports the attack was a response to the death of Hakimullah Mehsud, a Taliban chief who was killed in an American drone strike in November.

By Monday morning, all of the ten attackers had been killed by Pakistani military forces.

The attack comes on the heels of a break in peace talks between the country and the Taliban, who had recently ended a ceasefire during tense negotiations. Pakistani forces have also hit suspected hideouts with airstrikes, killing dozens of suspected Taliban forces, the AP reports.

Shahid warned in a telephone call to the AP that "such attacks will continue until there is a permanent ceasefire."

A previous version of the story is below:

Gunmen stormed Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday evening, killing five people in the airport's old terminal. The BBC is reporting that gunmen have reached the runway at the airport and a "gun battle is continuing between terrorists and [armed] forces."

Reports are stating at least 4-10 gunmen have attacked the terminal, which is primarily used for cargo and VIP flights and does not see many commercial air passengers, the BBC reports. The five killed are all members of the airport's security detail, the Airport Security Force (ASF). One other person was wounded.

Shauket Jamal, a spokesperson for the ASF, told the AP that the Pakistani military has been called in to engage the gunmen.

Grainy security footage from the scene show plumes of smoke rising from parked planes on the tarmac. Local news outlets are claiming that at least seven planes have been damaged.

All fights have been suspended and incoming planes are being diverted to nearby airports.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.