Islamabad , Pakistan ( CNN ) -- At least nine people died after three rockets were fired toward an airport in the Pakistani city of Peshawar , authorities said Saturday . The Bacha Khan International Airport was cordoned off after the rocket fire , senior police official Imran Shahid said . Syed Naveed Qamar , Pakistan 's defense minister , said on Geo News five attackers were killed . Qamar said the target could be an airforce base , which is adjacent to the airport . Both the airport and the air base have the same entrance . Mian Iftikhar Hussain , information minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , said after the attackers fired the rockets they tried but failed to drive an explosives-laden vehicle into the airport . The vehicle struck the airport 's outer wall , blew up and killed the militants . Other than the attackers , four civilians were also killed , Shahid said . He said 35 people were injured as well . Two of the rockets landed inside the airport and the other struck outside the facility . The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility of the attack . Taliban official Ehsanullah Ehsan said their target was in fact the air base . `` We have planned more attacks on Pakistani forces and its installation as it works to please the USA , '' Ehsan said . Peshawar is near Pakistan 's volatile tribal region . Militants have a strong presence in that region , which borders Afghanistan .
Many people were hurt . The police are investigating the incident and have not released any details about what happened. Peshawar is near the Pakistani tribal region .