Pak airports on alert over terror threat

All of the 36 airports have been placed on a state of alert following intelligence reports of a possible terror attack.

All of Pakistan's 36 airports were placed on a state of alert following intelligence that terrorist attacks were possible, a leading daily said on Monday.

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The Dawn newspaper said two airports in Balochistan province, at Quetta and Gwadar, were on "red alert," while the others were asked to increase vigilance following last week's suicide bombing at an army training base that killed 42 soldiers.

It wasn't clear when the alert was issued, and Pakistani aviation officials were not immediately available for comment.

Pakistan has seen a major escalation of violence over the last two weeks, following a military airstrike on an Islamic boarding school in which 80 people perished.

The government claimed the dead were militants preparing to infiltrate Afghanistan, but local towns people said almost all were local children or teenagers.

The ensuing attacks on the army base and pro-government vigilantes were seen as part of a campaign by religious militants to avenge the deaths.