MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A strong blast was heard Monday at the Pathankot air force base in the northern Indian region of Punjab that came under militant attack early Saturday, local media reported.
"Loud explosion heard inside Air Force Base in Pathankot," the Delhi-based Asian News International (ANI) agency said on Twitter.
Combined and synergised ops are underway. Area is very large, combing ops are going on. Op might take long time: NSG on #PathankotAttack
— ANI (@ANI_news) 4 января 2016
The battle between Indian security forces and gunmen continued into the third day on Monday. Gunmen unexpectedly launched a counterattack on Sunday as troops were conducting a mop-up operation at the compound. A total of four attackers and seven troops were reportedly killed.
It is unclear how many attackers are still inside the air base. Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said late Sunday there were at least two more gunmen left.
The attacked air base is located near the Pakistani border on the road to the contested Kashmir region. India and Pakistan have been in dispute over Kashmir for almost 70 years.
