A Pakistani helicopter takes party in an operation against militants at Pakistan Navy base in Karachi, Pakistan, May 23, 2011. (PHOTO / AP)

ISLAMABAD – The Pakistani army killed nine terrorists to foil a terrorist attack on an airbase in Mianwali district of the country's eastern Punjab province on Saturday, the country’s military said.

The attackers stormed the airbase in the wee hours of Saturday morning and three of them were killed before they could enter the airbase, the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in the statement.

The remaining six terrorists were killed after being cornered inside the building, according to the statement. 

“The successful operation was launched by security forces to eliminate any potential threat in the surrounding area following the cowardly and failed terrorist attack on the base this morning,” reads the statement released after the end of the clearance and combing operation.

No damage has been done to any of the Pakistan Air Force's functional or operational assets, while only some damage was done to three already phased-out non-operational aircraft during the attack, the ISPR said.

“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,” the statement added.

The ISPR did not reveal the identities of the terrorists or the loss on the security forces' side.