“So this is a shared challenge that we all face in the region and we in the United States want everybody to treat it as a shared challenge”, Kirby said, adding that the USA has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Punjab’s Pathankot”.
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Four days after the Pathankot terror attack has been officially ended, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday evening called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and conveyed his sadness and grief on the loss of life.
India has already given “specific and actionable information” to Pakistan on the involvement of militants in Pakistan in the attack, it said.
Mr Earnest said he is not aware of any upcoming meeting between US President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif.
Indian security forces have killed five militants involved in the attack, said Maj-Gen Dushyant Singh, of India’s counterterrorism force, the National Security Guard, at a media briefing yesterday.
Parrikar conceded there had been lapses in the operation but blamed the size and terrain of the base for this.
Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar added that there are indications that some of equipment used by terrorists were made in Pakistan. It is spread over more than 2,000 acres, including forests and fields.
Pathankot is home to a fleet of MiG-21 fighter jets and Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, along with other military hardware.
A Pakistan Foreign Ministry statement on Monday said the government was in touch with the Indian government and “is working on the leads provided by it”.
But gunfire could still be heard at the base on the third day of operations.
The Indian Prime Minister praised the armed forces for their heroism in taking on the militants, saying they did not let the “enemies of humanity” succeed.
The Pakistan Government has said that it is in line with its commitment to New Delhi to effectively counter and eradicate terrorism.
Officials said they had received intelligence about a possible attack and had beefed up security at the air field and repulsed the attackers before they reached any sensitive areas. The fifth terrorist, according to the security forces, was killed on Monday.
As the attack continued, authorities in New Delhi also ramped up security. He said more facts would be available after an inquiry had been conducted.
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Now, the obvious next step for Pakistan would be to take tangible action against the anti-India Kashmiri militant alliance, the United Jihad Council (UJC), which has said it carried out the assault.
