We learn that a group of terrorists had taken food at the Defence Security Corps (DSC) mess after sneaking into the base in the wee hours of Saturday. Not just that, they even slept at the empty airmen's barrack for some time, without being noticed even though a gunfight took place at the mess.
On Monday, security forces killed two more terrorists holed up inside the Pathankot air base. In all, six militants have been eliminated so far.
Though the government has not confirmed whether the operation was over or not or there were more terrorists inside, dna spoke to highly placed sources to find out the sequence of events so far.
We learn that a group of terrorists had taken food at the Defence Security Corps (DSC) mess after sneaking into the base in the wee hours of Saturday. Not just that, they even slept at the empty airmen's barrack for some time, without being noticed even though a gunfight took place at the mess.
When they entered the mess, some men were beginning to cook. An honorary captain inside the mess sensed something amiss and shot dead one of the terrorists. Upon this, the other terrorists opened fire and killed the captain and four others.
Soon after sneaking in, the terrorists had split into two groups. While one group immediately got into action and engaged the forces, the other moved to the airmen's barrack.
When four terrorists were killed by Saturday evening, many thought the operation was over and Union home minister Rajnath Singh even tweeted so.
Next morning, when security forces started mopping-up operations, the terror group in the mess got into action. The fresh strikes took security forces completely by surprise.
One blunder on the part of the security forces that allowed this group to go undetected was that, as the gun battle started, the air force brass focused more on guarding vital points like technical area, housing vital assets, and fuel stations, sources said. Many points were left open.
There are CCTV systems at the gates and other strategic points. But the base is monitored through aerial surveillance and watch towers installed in a gap of 100-200 metres.
Sequencing the event, sources said that the terrorists jumped over the wall and crossed an adjacent drain. Their movement was detected by a guard on the watch tower. But the terrorists gunned him down and walked into the base.
The Pathankot air force base is spread over several kilometres, which include forest areas. It houses a fleet of MiG-21 fighter jets and Mi-25 and Mi-35 attack helicopters, along with other military hardware.
The base is on the highway that connects Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country. It is also very close to the border with Pakistan, located just close to "chicken's neck", where Pakistan bulges into India.
Sources said that the terrorists used all tactics of professional fighters, like conserving firepower, attacking at 3 am when the level of alertness is at its lowest and going quiet to give the impression that all attackers had died, and also to get in to a crowded mess-like area where people are mostly unarmed.
Sources also say that the level of training of the Pathankot terrorists seems to be higher than those of the 26/11 attackers.
Huge quantity of explosives, rifles and rocket launchers were found at the site.
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