Indian security forces on Sunday continued to try to secure a major air force base near the border with Pakistan where an attack by suspected militants left at least 11 people dead, amid reports of fresh gunfire at the compound.
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Confusion prevailed over whether two or more militants were still hiding on the vast Indian airforce base at Pathnkot, 476km north of New Delhi, after special forces personnel shot dead four gunmen yesterday evening. “The new strategy of the terrorists is to identify defence bases near the border and launch attacks”, said the official, who was not authorised to comment on the record.
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The terrorists failed to destroy IAF assets due to timely action by security forces, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said in New Delhi on Sunday.
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Four attackers were killed on Saturday, but it was not known if others were still in the area until Sunday morning when at least two more insurgents began firing on Indian troops from different locations within the base.
“The operation will continue until the airbase is cleared of intruders”, Air Officer Commander told reporters in Pathankot, confirming that seven security personnel had been killed in the initial attack.
Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore had signalled a thaw in India-Pakistan relations but Saturday’s Pathankot terror attack is seen as an attempt by forces across the border to derail the proposed foreign secretary-level talks in Islamabad in the middle of this month.
On Saturday and Sunday, many Indians reproduced old tweets of Modi in which he questioned the policy of conducting dialogue with Pakistan amid terrorist attacks.
The possible involvement of Pakistan-based militants in the latest raid could be a setback for peace overtures between the nuclear-armed rivals, who have fought three wars since independence in 1947.
The US State Department described the assault as “a heinous” terrorist attack and urged the two rivals to work together to hunt down those responsible.
Maj. Gen. Dushyant Singh, from India’s elite National Security Guard, told reporters in Pathankot that it will take a “long time” to declare the base completely secure because of its size and geography. Officials said this firing could be linked to the mopping operation. Seventeen security personnel were also injured till now.
“The terrorists opened fire again close to midday and are holed up in a double storey building which were the living quarters of Air Force personnel”.
The base houses a fleet of India’s Russian-origin MiG-21 fighter jets and Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, along with other military hardware.
It was later found abandoned on a highway connecting Pathankot to Kashmir.
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The driver of the Innova that was used by the Pakistani militants after they entered the Indian side, showed unmatched courage and presence of mind after he realised that the men in his vehicle had a sinister plan.
