Gunmen attack India air force base - BBC

• From the section India

Image copyright Reuters Image caption The attack comes days after India and Pakistan launched a peace initiative

Four gunmen have been killed in a pre-dawn attack on an Indian air force base near Pakistani border, officials say.

Two soldiers at the Pathankot base were also killed in a gun battle lasting several hours.

Operations at the base are continuing, with some reports saying gunmen are holed up in the base.

The incident came days after the Indian and Pakistani leaders Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif met in Lahore to launch a surprise peace initiative.

The whole of India's Punjab state has been placed on alert.

The base is on the main highway leading to Indian-administered Kashmir.

Militant allegation

The gunmen wore Indian military uniforms and drove a hijacked car when they launched the attack at 03:30 (22:00 GMT Friday).

They entered living quarters at the base, but were contained there and so were unable to cause any damage to military hardware, said air force spokeswoman Rochelle D'Silva.

On Saturday morning, fresh gunfire was heard and a helicopter seen firing at an area inside the base.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says it is not yet clear who the attackers were but suspicion is already falling on Kashmiri militant groups based in Pakistan.

Some Indian security officials suggested the Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed was to blame.

India says the group is backed by Pakistan, but Islamabad denies this.

In August seven people were killed in a similar attack when gunmen stormed a police station in nearby Gurdaspur district.

The three attackers in Gurdaspur were killed after a 12-hour standoff with police.

Pathankot air force base is about 430km (270 miles) north of the Indian capital, Delhi and is on the road linking Indian-administered Kashmir with the rest of the country.

Indian-administered Kashmir has seen a long-running insurgency against rule from Delhi, and Kashmir has been a flashpoint in relations between Pakistan and India for nearly 70 years since independence.

[BBC]

Terror Attack At Air Force Base in Punjab's Pathankot, 2 Terrorists Killed – NDTV

All India | Edited by Nonika Marwaha | Updated: January 02, 2016 07:25 IST

The gunfire started at around 3:30 am and an official car was used to launch the attack.

Pathankot: At least four terrorists launched an attack on the Indian Air Force base in Punjab's Pathankot on Saturday morning, authorities said. Two of the terrorists have been killed.
The gunfire started at around 3:30 am, authorities said, adding that an official car was used to launch the attack. The incident is being seen as connected to the hijacking of a police car a day ago.
Gunfire is being heard from inside the air base and reports suggest the terrorists have been contained in a non-operational area of the facility.

The technical area where MiG 29 fighter aircraft and helicopters are kept is safe, officials said.
The National Security Guard or the NSG has been called in, authorities said. Helicopters have also dispatched to the area for assistance in operation.
According to official sources, intelligence inputs had alerted security forces of a possible terror attack late yesterday following which the security had been increased in the area.
The strike is being suspected to have been launched by the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed who wanted to damage military assets in the area officials said.
The attack comes within six months of the Gurdaspur terrorist strike where three terrorists equipped with grenades and AK-47s, opened fire in Dinanagar killing three civilians.
The terrorists were shot dead after a 12-hour long gun battle with the security forces in which four policemen were also killed.

Story First Published: January 02, 2016 06:03 IST

[NDTV]