Pathankot: Battle for Indian airbase enters third day

BBC News

The gun battle between Indian troops and militants at an air force base in Pathankot near the Pakistani border has entered its third day.

Indian TV stations reported that a loud explosion was heard at the base on Monday morning. At least five attackers and seven Indian soldiers have died so far. It is unclear how many militants are still inside the base.

Indian PM Narendra Modi held a meeting on Sunday to review the situation. The attack is being seen as a blow to an apparent Indo-Pakistani peace initiative launched just days ago.

Hopes for a thaw in relations were raised after Mr Modi paid an unexpected visitto his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan's foreign ministry and the US State Department have condemned the attack.

Nitin Srivastava, BBC Hindi, Pathankot

Image copyrightAP

Image captionGunmen attacked the base at night, entering living quarters

All roads leading to the air force base have been closed.

Combing operations are continuing inside the sprawling, but heavily fortified, base to locate at least two more gunmen who are believed to be inside the complex.

Shops in Pathankot have opened today after two days but residents are yet to come out of the shock of a heavily guarded base coming under attack.

Most people are blaming the porous India-Pakistan border in Punjab to be the reason behind the increased number of attacks.

Many also said they were embarrassed that the base was yet to be secured.

The attack started before dawn on Saturday, when a group of gunmen - wearing Indian army uniforms - entered the residential quarters on the base.

Hours of heavy gunfire followed, and a helicopter was seen firing at the facility on Sunday.

The identity of the attackers is not clear. 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.

Image copyrightEPA

Image captionSeven Indian soldiers have died in the attack

Image copyrightAP

Image captionHelicopters have been involved in the operation to secure the base

Image copyrightEPA

Image captionIndia's Punjab state is on alert following the attack

In July 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.