Backed United Jihad Council’s ‘Highway Squad’ claims responsibility for Pathankot terrorist attack

Pakistan-based United Jehad Council (UJC), an umbrella organisation of about a dozen militant outfits, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on the airbase at Pathankot on Monday.

On 2nd January when the attack first took place, Jaish-E-Mohammad (JeM), an Islamist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack. There have been other terror attacks on the Indian subcontinent where majority of the terrorists identified have found to be back in Pakistan. “By accusing Pakistan for every attack, India neither succeeded in past to malign the Kashmir freedom struggle nor will it get anything in future through malicious propaganda”, Hussain said.

“The attack has been carried by the mujahideen from National Highway Squad”, the UJC spokesman said in a statement.

Seven security personnel and five terrorists have been killed so far including one IAF Garud commando and five from Defence Services Corps (DSC).

In the operation conducted by Indian Army, five militants and seven Indian military personnel have been killed in fighting over the last two days.

Heavy firing was heard since Monday morning from inside the air base, where a gunbattle has been on since two teams of terrorists attacked it on Saturday morning.

The UJC is based in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and is headed by Syed Salauddin, an Indian Kashmiri who chiefs the Hizbul Mujahideen.

However, the UJC did not specify which specific group had actually carried out the Pathankot terror attack.

Air assets at the base, including aircraft and helicopters, are secure, and there has been no collateral damage or civilian casualties, officers stressed.