Gunmen opened fire on a political rally in Karachi, Pakistan today, killing at least nine people and sparking rioting, police said.

The Pakistani government apparently tried to play down the size of the Taliban raid on a navy base that humiliated military chiefs.

Pakistani commandos have regained control of a military base after Taliban suicide attackers occupied it for 15 hours, killing a dozen people.

Pakistani commandos cornered a group of Taliban militants in an office building on a naval base in Karachi today after the insurgents raided the complex in an attack which destroyed two US-supplied surveillance aircraft, officials said.