In 2008 , the al-Qaeda struck its largest terrorist attack in Islamabad when a truck bomb targeted the Marriott Hotel . This attack was a defining moment in the war and around ~ 266 sustained the injuries and 54 died . According to the testimonies , numbers of U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy personnel also died in the attack ; many believed the Americans were the target of the terrorist attacks . In a response to attack on 23 September 2008 , the PAF launched its aerial bombing mission which resulted in ultimate success . Military reports indicating that more than 60 insurgents were killed in northwest Pakistan . In the nearby Bajur tribal region , the air force strikes killed at least 10 militants , according to government officials . The Bajur operations , which the army said left more than 700 suspected militants dead , won praise from U.S. officials
targeted
Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa