Pathankot attack: Rajnath withdraws tweet on terrorists’ casualties

Two of the gunmen were killed in a shootout with security forces, while two or three more were holed up in buildings on the base, Indian media reported. According to PTI reports, four MI-25 copters gifted by India to Afghanistan were from this base.

Lashing out at Sukhbir, who also holds the home department, for not learning any lessons from Dinanagar attack in Pathankot six months ago, he said, “at that time, it was Dinanagar police station that was attacked and this time, a strategic airbase had been targeted”.

India’s prime minister Narendra Modi was in Lahore just a week back on a surprise visit to his counterpart Nawaz Sharif, and he had been very warmly received.

Indian air force spokeswoman Rochelle D’Silva told AP that troops are conducting a sweep of the entire base to comb out any remaining attackers.

Indian security force personnel stand outside an attacked Indian air force base in Pathankot of Indian state of Punjab, Jan. 2, 2016. At least two Indian soldiers were also killed.

The defense ministry said operations at the base were ongoing, 14 hours after the attack began.

India blamed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants for that attack.

Pakistan has condemned the attack.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training Kashmir’s insurgents, a charge Islamabad denies.

“I congratulate our armed forces and other security forces on successfully neutralising all the five terrorists in “Pathankot Operation”, Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.

Equations further deteriorated after two failed assassination efforts on Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf were traced to Jaish.

The search area has been expanded and forces are looking for a terrorist in hiding.

“Pathankot, in Punjab state, is on the highway that connects India’s insurgency-wracked Jammu and Kashmir state with the rest of the country”.

New Delhi suspended all talks with Pakistan after Islamist gunmen attacked the Indian city of Mumbai in November 2008, killing 166 people.

Security establishment was anticipating an attack after Superintendent of Police of Punjab police Salwinder Singh was abducted by a group of gunmen in army uniform in Pathankot on Thursday night.

“Attacking an air base is a serious security threat”.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is in Goa, was monitoring the situation and was in touch with Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha and other officers, the ministry sources meanwhile told IANS, adding Parrikar will reach Delhi soon.