Terrorists had conducted mock drills at Pakistani air base before attacking Pathankot: Report

New Delhi: Although Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has promised "prompt and decisive action" against terrorist groups linked to the attack on the air base at Pathankot in Punjab, yet a report on Wednesday raised a question mark on the assurances given by the neighbouring country.

The Times of India has quoted highly-placed intelligence sources as saying that the terrorists had made dry runs at at an air base in Pakistan before attacking the Pathankot air base.

Such a mock drill can't be possible without the involvement of the Pakistani military and ISI in the strike.

 

As per intelligence intercepts and contacts in jihadi groups, the extensive training session at one of the Pakistani air bases included several dry runs of breaching the security perimeter - a lesson the terrorists put to lethal use when they managed to enter the Pathankot base, reports the daily.

The terrorists had used under barrel guns (improvised versions of AK-47 assault rifles which can be used as mortar launchers) in the attack, launched days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit to Lahore.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday promised his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Islamabad will take "prompt and decisive action" against the terrorists linked to the attack.

 

According to reports, the PM told Sharif about the proof NSA Ajit Doval handed over to his Pakistani counterpart Naseer Khan Janjua about the "Gang of 7".

The group includes Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Maulana Masood Azhar, his younger brother Mufti Abdur Rauf Asghar, Maulana Ashfaq, Haji Shakqur, Jaan Ali Kasif of village Dosirah in Charsada district and Saifullah and Iftikhar, both from Shakargarh.

 

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday admitted to "security lapses" which led to the terror attack that left seven security personnel and all six terrorists dead.

He said the terrorists had AK-47 rifles, pistols, Swiss knives and commando knives besides 40-50 kg of bullets. They also had improvised mortars. "They had high quality explosives."

 

The Pathankot Air Force Station, where a MIG-21 Bison squadron and MI-35 attack helicopters are based, is spread over 1,900 acres. Over 1,500 families live inside the campus which also has a school, a hospital and a market.