India puts Pathankot Air Force base on high alert

 India Tuesday put on hight alert its Air Force base in Pathankot, a vital station in the north, and launched a massive search operation in the area.

"A joint search operation by police and the defense force has been launched following inputs from intelligence agencies of suspicious movement near the air base that bore the brunt of a major terror attack in January last year in which seven Indian soldiers were killed," a police official said.

On Jan. 2, 2016, a heavily armed group had attacked the Pathankot Air Force Station, part of the Western Air Command of Indian Air Force. Four attackers and two security forces personnel were killed in the initial battle, with an additional security force member dying from injuries later.

The gun battle and the subsequent combing operation lasted about 17 hours on Jan. 2, resulting in the death of five attackers and three security personnel. A further three soldiers succumbed to their injuries in the hospital with injuries, raising the death toll to six soldiers.

On Jan. 3, fresh gunshots were heard, and another security officer was killed by an explosion. The operation continued on Jan. 4, and a fifth attacker was confirmed killed.

After the attack, Delhi blamed Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, and gave Islamabad "specific and actionable" information on the attack. Pakistan had condemned the attack and called it a "terrorist incident", adding that it remained committed to peace efforts with India.

Pathankot air force base is about 430 km from the Indian capital, and is on the road linking Indian-controlled Kashmir with the rest of the country.

Source: Xinhua