Navy base attackers seem to be Central Asians: Pakistani daily

The attack also indicated gaps in security at PNS Mehran base, which should have been tightened following similar attacks on other armed force establishments by terrorists, the Urdu daily Jang said in an editorial.

"According to police sources, the DNA and forensic reports of the four attackers indicate they were not Pakistani nationals and seem to hail from a Central Asian country like Tajikistan, Turkmenistan or Kazakhstan. They were also related to one another," the editorial said.

Citing the initial probe report, the editorial said it was clear that the attackers were not Pakistani as the Nadra (National Database and Registration Authority) has no records of them.

It said police sources revealed that the forensic data was sent to the Americans, but they also did not have any records on the four men.

The paper said the report seemed to suggest that the lack of leads into the identity of the attackers could slow down efforts to unravel the conspiracy, and the probe would soon taper off.

"When it is necessary to bring out the conspiracy behind the attack and identify the masterminds, the initial report seems to indicate that the reasons and intent behind the attacks may never be known and the incident also remain unsolved like previous such outrages," it said.

"This would be breaking faith with the armed forces who have borne the brunt as well as the people of Pakistan," it said.

The 15-hour siege that began on the night of May 22 at the base led to the death of 14 people, including four terrorists. The terrorists also destroyed the navy's two P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft with rockets.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.