Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight reviewed the situation arising out of the terror attack at Pathankot air force base and is believed to have discussed with top officials its ramifications on ties with Pakistan.
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A Garud commando and two members of the DSC were killed in the gunbattle in which four Pakistan-based terrorists had also been eliminated during the gunbattle at the airbase, located barely 35 km from the Indo-Pak border.
Earlier, home minister Rajnath Singh had tweeted that the armed forces had successfully neutralised “all the five terrorists” involved in the attack, leading to reports that the operation had ended.
He said all assets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) inside the air base were safe.
The NSG, along with the Indian Air Force and special BSF forces have engaged in combat against the militants. Authorities say at least seven troops and four gunmen had been killed by nightfall, with 12 others wounded.
“The air base is large and we have been working all night to ensure that the base is totally in our control”, Mehta said. The firing was still continuing, police officials said. An NSG official said during a media briefing on Monday evening that five terrorists were killed by security forces.
Military trucks were seen entering and leaving the walled compound with helicopters flying over it on Monday.
The terror attack came nearly a week after Modi flew into Lahore, on his way back from Afghanistan, for a surprise meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.
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Officials said the attack bore the hallmarks of previous suspected assaults by Pakistan-based militant groups, underscoring the fragility of recent efforts to revive talks between the nuclear-armed neighbors. The meeting lasted for over two hours, the sources said.
