Search and combing operation are under way at the air base on Tuesday – the fourth day after the attack on the frontline Air Force Station (AFS) by suspected Pakistani terrorists. The operation was stepped up on Tuesday to scan every inch of the air base, an Air Force official at the base told IANS. “There is a lot of time between 7th to 15th January, we will wait to see what happens in this time”, he said at an official briefing.
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Gunshots could still be heard from the base on Monday – more than 48 hours after the raid – leading some to question why it took so long to neutralise the six assailants, all of whom were finally killed.
“Through timely and prompt action by all agencies, the likely plan of the terrorists to destroy valuable assets of the Air Force has been foiled”, the Indian Defense Ministry had said in a statement at the time.
The United Jehad Council (UJC), an umbrella grouping of Kashmiri militant groups based in Pakistan, on Monday claimed responsibility for the attack.
Shinde said there have been “three major terrorist attacks from Pakistan in last six months – two in Punjab and one in Jammu and Kashmir”.
He welcomed good relations with Pakistan but said that it should come at the cost of India’s security.
“Terrorists entered country and even though there was an intelligence report, Govt failed to prevent the attack”, Antony added.
The Congress leaders also wondered why the Modi government has not lodged a formal protest till date with Pakistan government, summoned their High Commissioner and taken a decision to place the matter before global fora, so as to “expose and isolate Pakistan” as a state that is “abetting and permitting its soil to be used for anti-India terror activities”. India without delay “should provide an opportunity to the people of Kashmir to decide their future”, Hussain said. “What assured the Prime Minister that the resumption of peace process has the full support and endorsement of the entire Pakistani establishment?”
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However, search and combing operations are on to ensure that the defence installation is properly secured and sanitised, they added. “But I don’t think we compromised on security”, he told reporters after touring the scene of the fighting. The attack began early Saturday morning and has dragged on as troops struggled to find the heavily armed attackers in the sprawling base, with forests and fields, homes for personnel based there and a school for their children. Only one building where a terrorist was hiding was damaged a bit, Parikkar said.
