'NSG-led surgical operations helped confine terrorists to smaller area'

Braving firing and intermittent shooting of mortars by terrorists, the National Security Guard, aided by the Garuds and the Army, conducted a chain of surgical 'step by step' operations to eliminate the six terrorists and ensured they were contained within a 250-metre radius.

An officer privy to the operation said it was a difficult task as on the one hand, they had to secure families, air assets, and buildings and on the other, to contain terrorists in a specific area and neutralise them.

In a 'well-coordinated operation', the troops managed to secure all air assets and 3,000 families housed in the over 1,900-acre air base.

"The NSG aided by the Garuds, special forces of the Indian Air Force and the Army conducted step by step surgical operational at specific places with some fire power to conclude the engagement with the terrorists in over 38 hours in the five-day-long operation," a senior officer said.

Although seven persons lost their lives, it is being considered as a coordinated operation with air support of Dhruv attack helicopters and ground support of troops armed with infantry combat vehicles and tanks.

"We feel that this is the most well coordinated operation with the NSG, the Army, the Defence Security Corps, the Garuds and the police working in tandem to eliminate the terrorists and secure all assets inside," the officer said.

About 300 'black cat' commandos of the NSG, the elite counter-terror force, deployed an assortment of most sophisticated assault weapons and 'buster' ammunition tools to neutralise the terrorists who had sneaked into the Air Force base in the border town of Pathankot.

In one of the longest running counter-terror operations in the country, the NSG lost its bomb squad commanding officer Lt Col E K Niranjan.

A media team was taken on Tuesday around the area of encounter and operation led by the IAF.

"The first contact was held at Military Engineer Service workshop. It was with Garuds. The terrorists had burnt a bus and damaged a truck," an officer told mediapersons.

"They ran from this place...And near the MES living accommodation, they fired, damaging two-wheelers and later went to the thick forest area close to the MES canteen," he said.

They resorted to firing at the workshop and at another place close to the open patch, where three of them were killed.

"We used JCB machines to clear a patch of forest area and chopped off some branches. At these two places between the MES accommodation and the DSC mess, the maximum action took place. We contained them in this area only and conducted step by step surgical operations to neutralise them. See, there is no damage to any of the building except to a two-storeyed building there," the officer pointed out.

"They killed one DSC...some metres away they burnt three motorcycles, and at first contact place, they burnt a bus. An officer lost his life in the open patch area during handling of a terrorist's body," he said.

Equipped with armoured gear, scores of NSG men are still engaged in the combing operation at the base.

The recoveries include five AK 47s, under barrel grenade launcher, three pistols, three knives, three wire cutters, 28 AK 47 magazines, three pistol magazines, 40-50 kg of bullets, high explosives and mortars, wireless sets, injections, some table lighters, Indian currency and some handwritten notes in Urdu.

"They were firing through an under barrel launcher," he said.

Security forces including the NSG and the Army have deployed major combat elements along with medical and administrative support.