Terror attack : 4 terrorists, 3 soldiers killed in Pathankot gunbattle

Even as there was a lull in the battle that continued for hours, fresh shots  were heard as combing operations started and it is suspected that more terrorists are hiding somewhere nearby. 

 

Defence sources have been quoted as saying that the surviving terrorists may be now out of the air base.

 

An army helicopter is conducting sorties to trace the surviving terrorists, said to be belonging to the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The attackers were reportedly from Bhawalpur in Pakistan and were ordered to blow up the helicopters stationed at the base

The terror attack came  within 10 days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goodwill visit to Pakistan. Union Home Minister  Rajnath Singh said, "We want good ties with Pakistan but a befitting reply will be given to any terror attack."

Intelligence inputs had warned about a possibility of an attack at Pathankot -- a key air base for MiG-21 Bison fighters and Mi-35 attack helicopters, located 50 km from the border with Pakistan.
According to reports, the terrorists were contained in periphery of the air base.  The area where fighter aircraft and helicopters are kept is reportedly safe.
The attack was launched aroiund 3 30 am after the terrorists entered the air base, located 50 kilometers from the border with Pakistan and 200 kilometers from state capital Chandigarh, in an official vehicle. They were wearing military uniform.

Two teams of the army's special forces, along with National Security Guard and air force's Garuda commandos lead the assault on the terrorists. Army's Casspir armoured personnel carriers were used to close in on the block.

The vehicle used by the terrorists reportedly was the car of the Superintendent of Police of Gurdaspur that was 'hijacked' in Pathankot on Friday by men in army fatigues. 
The attack is suspected to have been carried out by the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
  
Soon after the attack, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, tweeted, "That was quick. Here's the first major challenge to the PM Modi's bold Pakistan gambit."

The s attack comes six months after another terror strike in Punjab's Gurdaspur, when three terrorists  opened fire in Dinanagar killing three civilians. The terrorists were shot dead after a 12-hour long gunbattle.