CHANDIMANDIR: Swift action by the army averted a hostage situation during the Pathankot attack. On January 3, the army managed to timely evacuate six air force personnel from the first floor of a building stormed by a group of terrorists.
Giving details, Western Command chief Lt General KJ Singh said: “The ultras had split into two teams. While there were four members in one group, the other team had two members. One of the terrorists of the second group entered the Other Ranks (ORs) accommodation. The army swiftly moved in and managed to evacuate the six IAF men one by one through ropes.” The twostorey building was later blown up by security forces.
Lt Gen Singh said the building had steel doors. “It was almost like a bunker. So, explosives had to be used to destroy the building,” he added.
On why National Security Guard (NSG) teams were deployed when the army was present right next door, he replied, “NSG, army and IAF’s Garuda commandos were involved in the action. The decision to deploy NSG was taken at the top level that included the three service chiefs. They (NSG) were deployed as strategic assets were involved. There could have been a hostage situation as 11,000 people were inside the base.
“Usually, the airbase stops operations in such situations, but here it remained fully functional. The IAF was able to carry out surveillance sorties,” he added. The Western Command deployed nine columns of troops, including special forces, for the operation. A platoon of Infantry Fighting Vehicles, a bomb disposal squad, nine mine protected vehicles and an air evacuation were also ready to deal with any emergency situation.
DIFFICULT TERRAIN, VAST AREA,
“It’s a huge area and a difficult terrain. The buildings at the base are laid out in a sequential manner and these have to sanitised one by one. Also, with families inside, the troops had to be extra cautious,” he said.
The terrorists used to remain dormant for some time and then resort to fire. “The actual engagement was of just 10 hours and not of 95 hours as being stated by the media.”
ARMY’S ROLE NOT LIMITED
The Western Command chief clarified that the army’s role was not limited. “Defence Security Corps personnel and Garuda commandos made the first contact with the ultras when Jagdish Chand snatched a gun from a terrorist and killed him. Then second contact was made by security forces, including an army column. An integrated fire base was used and then the NSG came. Later, the NSG neutralised the group consisting of four terrorists,” he added.
The army had recovered a pamphletof Jaish-E-Mohammad (JeM), radio sets, AK-47s and antitank grenades from terrorists.
INPUT ON POSSIBLE STRIKE CAME ON JAN 1
“On January 1, we received a definitive input that around six to eight terrorists had sneaked in and their target was the Pathankot airbase,” said the Western Command chief. He said the input was received from both central agencies and Punjab Police. “We immediately took preemptive action. A red alert was sounded and quick reaction teams (QRTs) were put in place. Security of strategic installations was also beefed up,” he added.
On allegations that Punjab Police had failed to share inputs on time, he said the inquiry was on and he won’t comment on it. He also refused to comment on from where the terrorists entered India. The NIA was looking into all aspects, he said.On whether terrorists received local support, he said: “It can’t be ruled out. The NIA is looking into this aspect.”
Panic in Gurdaspur after two spotted in military fatigues
GURDASPUR: Panic gripped Punjab’s Gurdaspur town on Wednesday when residents of villages on the outskirts reported seeing two men in fatigues acting suspiciously near an army cantonment.
Police cordoned off the area and enforced a blackout within a 5km radius as the spot is a short distance away from the Pathankot air force base where six terrorists and seven Indian soldiers were killed in a days-long encounter.
The local administration made announcements through loudspeakers at two gurdwaras about the presence of suspected Pakistani terrorists, with authorities saying they could target the Tibri military station.
The facility has a large number of army establishments from various regiments as well as their families. Witnesses said the two men were wearing sunglasses, were heavily armed and when confronted hid in a nearby sugarcane field.
Gurdaspur DCA bhinav Trikha, SSP Gurpreet Singh Toor and senior army officers rushed to the area. “The villagers informed us about two suspicious men in army fatigues close to the cantonment. We have since launched a search operation,” Toor told AFP.
Officials also said army formations have been put on alert following reports that five terrorists have sneaked into the border area of Gurdaspur and Pathankot.
Missing pieces in the Pathankot puzzle
MYSTERY As investigators rummage through leads and trails of the audacious Pathankot attack, Pawan Sharma and Aseem Bassi try to put together the jigsaw puzzle of the terror plot that was hatched on Pakistan soil.
Where did the second group of terrorists come from?
RAVI KUMAR/HT(Above) NIA officials hearing versions of SP Salwinder Singh (red turban) and his cook Madan Gopal (left) regarding their abduction, in Pathankot on Wednesday.Security agencies have almost concluded that terrorists were in two separate groups. Yet what’s baffling is how the two terrorists travelled and sneaked inside the air force base in view of evidence— based on the first-person account of Rajesh Verma, whose throat was slit but he survived, and Gurdaspur superintendent of police (SP) Salwinder Singh—that they were waylaid by four ultras.
The presence of four terrorists in one group has been settled by versions of the police officer and his cook, Madan Gopal.
But, security sleuths don’t rule out the possibility that two ultras could still be on the loose. The combination of two in one group and four in the other is puzzling security experts. How the group of four ultras reached Pathankot is clear from the killing of taxi driver Ikagar Singh and the carjack of the SP’s XUV. There is not a shred of evidence so far to indicate how the first group of two travelled up to Pathankot and who helped them.
Did both terror groups enter airbase together?
There is no clarity on whether the six terrorists sneaked inside the air force facility together or in separate groups. It’s also a mystery whether both groups were in touch with each other.
Security officials say both groups had one wireless set each to establish contact. One walkie-talkie set was recovered from the abandoned vehicle of the abducted Punjab police officer who was mysteriously let off. A similar walkie-talkie set was found from the ultras killed by the security forces.
Sources say the terrorists entered the airbase by climbing its rear boundary wall that has barbed wire. It is learnt that one glove–ostensibly that of an ultra—was found entangled with the wire.
“It is likely that they scaled the rear wall to enter the airbase. But where did the other two terrorists came from needs to be ascertained,” a source said.
Why was the SP let off?
Police officers say the SP was freed due to his religion, and the cook due to his age. After dumping the SP and his cook with their hands tied behind the back, the ultras realised later that the person they had let off was an SP (a call came on his phone and the caller said it was the SP sahib’s phone). Then they went back to search him. But the SP and his cook had fled. The SP’s mind-boggling statement to his interrogators that he was let off by the ultras “as they did not want to harm him due to his religion” has bounced
more questions than answers.
From where did terrorists cross international border?
How the terrorists made an entry into the country’s frontline defence establishment is in the realm of speculation. Even as the BSF has been maintaining that the terrorists did not infiltrate from the Bamial sector, the traces of mud inside the abandoned taxi of killed driver Ikagar Singh suggest that they used the riverine route. Which path they used to reach this side of the border is going to leave the top brass of the security forces red-faced.
Reports are doing the rounds that terrorists used the Bamial sector to reach the air force base. It is also not known if ultras had any local support. Though the defence minister had said that the terrorists were heavily armed, highly motivated and on a suicide mission, the question bothering everybody is if they had local support as they moved through villages and later to the airbase.
How did they manage to carry back-breaking load of ammunition?
Another question that has foxed security agencies is how the terrorists managed to carry so much ammunition and weapons with them. Did they use porters? As per Verma’s version, the backpacks the ultras were carrying were very heavy. So far there is no clarity on whether they had any local support.