At least eight people including six militants and two security personnel were killed in an airbase attack that took place early Thursday morning inPakistan, said army sources.

According to a spokesman with Pakistan Air Force (PAF), at about 2:00 a.m. Thursday morning, six heavily armed militants launched an attack on a PAF Kamra airbase in the country's northwest district of Attock, which is located some 70 kilometers northwest of the capital Islamabad.

An intense fire was exchanged between the militants and the security forces, said the spokesman, adding that six attackers were all killed after more than three hours of fighting.

One of the militants killed in the attack was found wearing a suicide jacket, said the spokesman.

Earlier local media reports said that one aircraft was also destroyed in the attack, but the PAF spokesman denied the reports by saying that the attackers failed to reach any planes before they got killed.

The attack took place when a group of militants, reportedly wearing military uniforms, were stopped at a checkpost of the Kamra airbase, said local media, adding that the militants had successfully crossed over three checkposts before they were stopped at the fourth one.

They opened fire and hurled handgrenades at the security people at the checkpost when they were stopped, said local media.

Huge smoke and fire were seen rising from the airbase following the attack, said local residents.

Special commandos at the airbase were called in to reinforce the security personnel at the checkpost under attack, said the spokesman, adding that paramilitary forces and police were also deployed outside the airbase to counter any second attack.

A spokesman with Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that army commandos were also dispatched to the attack site at the request of PAF.

Both Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Ashraf have issued statements strongly condemning the attack.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Thursday's attack on the Kamra airbase is the second of its kind launched by militants in the country over the past year or so. On May 22, 2011, a group of militants launched an attack on an airbase in the country's southern port city of Karachi, in which at least one U.S.-made P-3C Orion plane was destroyed and a number of security personnel were killed and wounded.