Operation against terrorists still on: IAF officer

A Punjab Police official said the operation will end only after a thorough search and combing operation is completed.

Four different safety males have been additionally injured within the blast.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced the death of the NSG officer, Lt. Col. Niranjan, saying he was killed in “mopping up operations” in Pathankot.

While a Garud commando and three members of the Defence Security Corps (DSC) have been killed within the gunbattle yesterday, three DSC males succumbed to accidents within the hospital right here in the course of the night time.

A senior officer of the National Security Guard (NSG) was killed in an accidental explosion during combing operations at Pathankot air base on Sunday pushing the number of casualties among security forces to seven, Indian media reported.

Official sources said one or two terrorists appeared to be still in the complex and were engaged in sniping at security forces who were trying to catch them alive if possible. Four terrorists were killed yesterday but at least more two more ultras are still hiding inside the Pathankot airbase of the IAF in Punjab, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi confirmed this evening in the national capital.

The technical area where the IAF’s MIG-21 fighter jets, MI-35 attack helicopters and other critical assets are stationed was secure, said the sources. Singh later deleted his tweet.

“The operations are continuing”. “Operations will continue till the air base is cleared off any intruder or terrorist”. According to reports, the holed up militants were discovered in the forested area on the backside of the air base from where they are reported to have entered. During the day, five companies of army along with JCB bulldozers were sent to the area to speed up the operation against the terrorists.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the latest situation at the Pathankot air base.

The fresh exchange of fire today and the grenade blast occured as the joint combing operation by the armed forces, police and security personnel was still underway and the NIA had taken over the probe into the terror incident.