Heavily-armed militants attacked a Pakistan Air Force training base in Punjab province early Saturday, damaging three grounded aircraft, the army said.

In a statement, the Pakistan Army said that the Mianwali Training Air Base of Pakistan Air Force was attacked by terrorists but soldiers foiled it by killing three of the attackers and cornering three others.

"However, during the attack, some damage to three already grounded aircraft and a fuel bowser also occurred,” the statement said.

It said that three terrorists were “neutralised while entering the base while the remaining three terrorists have been cornered/isolated due to timely and effective response by the troops”.

It further added that a comprehensive joint clearance and combing operation is in the final stages to completely clear the area.

"Pakistan Armed Forces remain committed to eliminating the menace of terrorism from the country at all costs," the army said.

The attack comes hours after a series of terror strikes that killed at least 17 soldiers in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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