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India air base on road to Kashmir hit by militants
by Our Foreign Desk
FIGHTING still raged at an Indian air base near the Pakistani border last night following Saturday’s attack by militants.
At least seven troops and four gunmen had been killed in the fighting at the air force base at Pathankot, with two attackers still holding out.
The pair were discovered shortly after noon and appeared to have been cornered hours later, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said.
The attack on Pathankot started before dawn on Saturday, a week after Narendra Modi became the first Indian prime minister in 12 years to visit Pakistan.
The base is on the main route into Kashmir, whose territory is disputed with Pakistan and where separatist groups have been fighting the government for decades.
Police said they were investigating whether the gunmen came from Indian-held Kashmir or from Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack.
Mr Mehrishi said Indian authorities were alerted on Friday afternoon about a potential terror attack in Pathankot, and that aerial surveillance had spotted the militants as they entered the compound.
He said they were quickly engaged by troops and “were unable to move toward their likely intended target” — the base’s planes and other equipment.
Among the dead was retired Major Fateh Singh, a shooting champion who won gold and silver medals in the 1995 Commonwealth Games.
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