“We have eradicated the fifth terrorist, however the operations are nonetheless going on”, stated Major General Dushyant Singh, IG (Operations), NSG, throughout a media briefing right here.
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Defense officials have said that authorities had been alerted about a potential attack in the area on Friday, and that aerial surveillance at the base spotted the gunmen as they entered the compound, leading to criticism of the handling of the situation.
As explosions were heard from inside the air base late Sunday, some reports said the two remaining militants had been killed.
An Indian security personnel stands guard next to a barricade outside the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Pathankot in Punjab, January 2, 2016.
“Let the operation recover from then the federal government will take a view”, Jaitley advised ANI when requested if Indo-Pak talks will probably be affected within the wake of the Pathankot assault.
The area of the Air Force base is “very large” where strategic assets of IAF are kept, besides families of IAF personnel and schools are located in it. No group claimed responsibility for the strike, but officials suspected Pakistan-based militant groups.
Joint operations launched by security forces are being conducted in an excellent manner by the NSG, Army, Air Force, Police and intelligence agencies in a combined and synergised manner.
The violence follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise December 25 visit to Pakistan, where he met his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif – a trip that marked a significant thaw in the mostly tense relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Four terrorists died on Saturday after 15 hours of fighting.
The terrorists are holed up in a double storeyed building which is a living accommodation of the IAF and now the operation is in progress to clear it from the terrorists, an army officer said.
Four militants and seven security personnel were killed Saturday.
Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj met a group of diplomats to chalk out a strategy on Pakistan.
As a senior cop, Mr Singh would also have been privy to a letter based on intelligence inputs sent on the same day by the Punjab Police alerting against a possible terror attack on key defence installations and asking top officials to be vigilant at night.
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In New Delhi, two trains were delayed early on Sunday amid heightened security concerns after officials received information about a possible bomb threat on an intercity train, railways spokesman Neeraj Sharma said. This was the group that kidnapped Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh. “Those who are responsible for the problem should not question the one trying to solve it”, BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said. The National Investigation Agency, which will probe the Pathankot attack, will also probe the killing of the driver and the kidnapping of the SP.
