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| Indian troops battle militants at key air force base | Indian troops battle militants at key air force base |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| NEW DELHI — Fresh gunshots were heard from inside an air force base in northern India on Monday as troops continued to try to clear the area of militants for a third day. | |
| At least seven troops and four militants have been killed in the fighting. Authorities said it was not immediately clear how many militants were still hiding inside the compound. Air force helicopters flew all night to assist the operations on the ground in Pathankot, a frontline air base near India’s border with Pakistan. | |
| Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting with top security and diplomatic officials late Sunday to discuss the situation, even as criticism mounted that his surprise visit to Pakistan last week had yielded few positive results. | |
| The battle began early Saturday after armed men scaled the compound wall and entered the base. But even after the operation was declared successful after nearly 14 hours of fighting, efforts continued to find at least more militants hiding inside the sprawling base. | |
| “We have eliminated four terrorists,” Major General Dushyant Singh of the commando force National Security Guard told reporters. “The operations to eliminate possibly two more terrorists is in the final stages.” An army official said that the militants are hiding inside a two-story residence inside the airbase and that troops were working to clear the building. | |
| Television images showed hundreds of citizens lining up on Monday in different cities to pay homage to the dead commandos as their bodies were flown home from Pathankot for a funeral. | |
| As explosions were heard late Sunday from inside the base, some reports said the two remaining militants had been killed. Officials did not confirm the reports, however. | |
| “The operations are at a mature stage, but the confirmation will only be made when we physically see the body of the terrorists,” said Anil Khosla, the air force’s director general of air operations. | |
| The attack comes a week after Modi met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during an unannounced stopover in Lahore on his way back from Kabul. Many analysts termed the meeting — the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 12 years — a “masterstroke” aimed at improving the frayed ties between the two nations. | The attack comes a week after Modi met with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during an unannounced stopover in Lahore on his way back from Kabul. Many analysts termed the meeting — the first visit by an Indian prime minister in 12 years — a “masterstroke” aimed at improving the frayed ties between the two nations. |
| But now critics are questioning why Modi’s diplomatic gesture has not borne fruit. | But now critics are questioning why Modi’s diplomatic gesture has not borne fruit. |
| [India’s premier creates a stir with surprise stop in Pakistan] | |
| On Saturday and Sunday, many Indians reproduced old tweets from Modi in which he questioned the policy of conducting dialogue with Pakistan amid terrorist attacks. | On Saturday and Sunday, many Indians reproduced old tweets from Modi in which he questioned the policy of conducting dialogue with Pakistan amid terrorist attacks. |
| Randeep Singh Surjewala, a spokesman for the opposition Congress party, said he wants to remind Indians that Modi “used to say he will show red eyes to Pakistan.” | Randeep Singh Surjewala, a spokesman for the opposition Congress party, said he wants to remind Indians that Modi “used to say he will show red eyes to Pakistan.” |
| “We don’t want him to show red eyes, but we want him to take firm action to protect the life of citizens of this country,” Surjewala said. | “We don’t want him to show red eyes, but we want him to take firm action to protect the life of citizens of this country,” Surjewala said. |
| [Old chasm between India and Pakistan again echoes with warnings and fears] | [Old chasm between India and Pakistan again echoes with warnings and fears] |
| Since independence from British rule in 1947, the two nations have fought three wars. India routinely accuses Islamist groups in Pakistan of fomenting terror across the border. But no official has directly blamed Pakistan for the Pathankot attack. In a tweet on Saturday, Modi blamed the “enemies of humanity who can’t see India progress.” | Since independence from British rule in 1947, the two nations have fought three wars. India routinely accuses Islamist groups in Pakistan of fomenting terror across the border. But no official has directly blamed Pakistan for the Pathankot attack. In a tweet on Saturday, Modi blamed the “enemies of humanity who can’t see India progress.” |
| Pakistan’s government condemned the attack and said it was committed to partnering with India to eradicate terrorism. | Pakistan’s government condemned the attack and said it was committed to partnering with India to eradicate terrorism. |
| India’s foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, met Sunday with former diplomats to formulate the government’s strategy of engagement with Pakistan in the coming weeks. | |
| A senior minister in the government, Prakash Javadekar, said the process of talks with Pakistan “cannot be destroyed” because of one attack.“Because of early action, the terrorists were unable to move to their likely intended aim but were contained in an area of a growth of trees and shrubs,” Rajiv Mehrishi, a Home Ministry official, told reporters in New Delhi. He added that the militants wanted to cause “damage to the assets of the air force.” | |
| After an intelligence alert about an imminent terrorist threat to the base, New Delhi sent commandos to Pathankot on Friday. Aerial surveillance detected the militants entering the compound, and the fighting began. | |
| Hours after the gun battle resumed Sunday, Modi drew much criticism on social media when his Twitter handle posted tweets about the benefits of yoga and traditional Indian medicine, quoting from his speech at a conference in the southern state of Karnataka. | Hours after the gun battle resumed Sunday, Modi drew much criticism on social media when his Twitter handle posted tweets about the benefits of yoga and traditional Indian medicine, quoting from his speech at a conference in the southern state of Karnataka. |
| Read more: | Read more: |
| Modi makes a lot of overseas trips, but is he a diplomatic failure with India’s neighbors? | Modi makes a lot of overseas trips, but is he a diplomatic failure with India’s neighbors? |
| Pakistani media celebrated after Modi’s party lost a key state election | Pakistani media celebrated after Modi’s party lost a key state election |
| The divide between India and Pakistan is so deep you can see it from space | The divide between India and Pakistan is so deep you can see it from space |