Death toll in Indian base attack rises to 7 troops, 4 gunmen

Another gunman has been killed in an operation to clear an Indian air base after a militant attack.

Defence experts have questioned the way the audacious terror attack on IAF base in Pathankot was handled, with some even saying it was the result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “high-risk” mission to Lahore where he met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

Naqvi said, “We want that peace should prevail in the world, but if terrorist outfits want to thwart that peace process then they would be given a befitting reply by our security forces”.

Meanwhile, fresh firing began today at the Base after reports emerged of terrorists who were still active inside. “They could not reach near the techncal area of the air force station where IAF aircraft and other assets are located” a Punjab Police official stationed near the IAF station told IANS.

But on Sunday morning, it was discovered there were two more terrorists, he said, adding the security forces were battling them.

According to reports, three soldiers who were injured in the attack on Saturday died in hospital, taking the number of deaths to six.

Seven soldiers, including an army lieutenant-colonel, and 4 attackers were killed in the ensuing gunbattle that lasted 14 hours. “But now they are scared to come out of the house after the terror attack”, she said.

Since Saturday morning, the base has been swarming with air force commandos, troops from India’s elite National Security Guard and local police.

The assault – a rare targeting of an Indian military installation outside disputed Kashmir – threatens to undermine improving relations with Pakistan.

Pathankot, Jan. 3 (ANI): The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday confirmed that the operation to flush out the terrorists from the Air Force Station in Pathankot was still underway, including that a complete of seven safety personnel have been martyred thus far.

Modi, on a visit to the southern city of Mysore, responded to the attack on Twitter Saturday evening.

This, some senior officers of the intelligence establishment feel, was meant to provoke the Indian defence establishment and political opposition to retaliate – undo India-Pakistan peace dialogue and so scuttle the foreign secretary-level talks less than a fortnight away.

The base is on the highway that connects India’s insurgency-plagued Jammu and Kashmir state with the rest of the country.

Soon after returning from his two-day visit to Karnataka, Mr Modi chaired a meeting of top officials including National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar. At the same time, if the attack can be conclusively linked to a Pakistan-based group, the authorities here must also act decisively against such nefarious elements.