Pathankot terror strike had no Kashmir link, say highly placed sources

New Delhi: The terrorist strike on the Air Force Station in Pathankot, Punjab, early on Saturday morning, had no Kashmir link, and was said to have been masterminded by some elements in Rawalpindi, highly placed sources said.

The sources revealed that the attack on the Pathankot Air Force Base was carried out by heavily-armed Fidayeens of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), who reportedly communicated with each other and their handlers in a distinct Pakistani dialect during their attack.

JeM-related social media also highlighted this attack, and therefore, it is realistic to believe that there was no link to Kashmiris, said the sources.

The sources said the five terrorists killed in Saturday`s joint security operation were Pakistan-based, as was the case in the Mumbai terror strikes of November 2008, which claimed the lives of 166 people and left over 300 others injured.

No Kashmiri or local Punjabis (Indians) were involved in any way.The aim, according to the highly placed sources, was to carry out a sensational attack on a high visibility target and inflict maximum destruction.

The sources said the ISI-JeM-backed terror attack was successfully foiled by Indian agencies, including Indian intelligence, who managed to get advance information on the possibility of the attack taking place, and hence, were able to give advance warning to the security forces on ground, who in turn, quickly coordinated efforts for an extremely efficient and timely counter-terror operation that neutralized and eliminated all five terrorists involved.

There was also no damage to air force assets and only minimal unfortunate casualties in the death of three security personnel and injuries to six others.