Gunmen Killed in Pathankot, India, Air Base Attack
By NIDA NAJAR

NEW DELHI — At least four gunmen were killed in an attack at an Indian Air Force base that began early Saturday near the border with Pakistan in Pathankot, Punjab, the police said.

Gunmen entered the base and exchanged fire with security forces inside around 3:30 a.m., said Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, a senior police official based in Amritsar. As of Saturday evening, a military operation against the gunmen remaining in the base was still underway, the Defense Ministry said.

Mr. Singh did not confirm a report from the Press Trust of India news agency that three members of the security forces had also been killed, but Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in a Twitter message that security personnel had died.

It was unclear who was behind the assault. But there had been intelligence reports of a likely attack in the Pathankot area, and the attackers were seen on aerial surveillance when they entered the base, the Defense Ministry statement said.

The attack came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India made an impromptu trip to Pakistan to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Dec. 25, the first such visit in almost 12 years. The meeting was seen as a step toward the resumption of a stalled dialogue between the countries.

Terrorist attacks on security forces and military bases are unusual in Punjab, and more often seen in the border state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is north of Punjab and has a persistent insurgency. India has long accused Pakistan of supporting militants in the region.

Mr. Singh, the minister, said on Saturday that India wanted peace with Pakistan, but also said that “if there is any terror attack on India, we will give a befitting reply.”

In July, gunmen wearing Indian Army uniforms opened fire on a civilian bus and then took over a police station in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Saturday’s attack in a statement.

越界恐攻 印度空軍要塞6死

位於印度與巴基斯坦邊界的印度巴坦科（Pathankot）空軍基地，二日凌晨遭武裝伊斯蘭激進分子攻擊，過程中共造成四名槍手與兩名印度軍人喪生。這次攻擊可能讓脆弱的印巴和平進程再生枝節。

印度總理莫迪上周閃電造訪巴基斯坦，與巴國總理沙里夫進行會談，是十一年來印度總理首度造訪巴國，兩國外長本月並將在巴國首都伊斯蘭馬巴德會面。

莫迪的造訪行動當時立刻招致批評，警告好戰分子可能發動攻擊以示報復，但莫迪仍堅持與巴國推動和平進程。

二日的攻擊行動，可能成為兩個核武宿敵和平談判的新絆腳石。美聯社報導，攻擊行動旨在破壞印巴關係的最新進展。另有分析家認為，上述行動可能是一起越界的報復行動，抗議莫迪訪巴。

巴坦科基地位於印度西北部的旁遮普省，新德里北方四百卅公里處，距離巴國邊界五十公里，是座戰略基地，內有數十架戰機。

空軍發言人表示，至少四名槍手進入軍人住處，但未能進入停放武裝直升機和其他軍事設備的地區。攻擊發生後的十小時內陸續傳出槍響。

發動攻擊的武裝分子身分不明，據信屬於在巴國被禁的翟西─穆罕默德（Jaish-e-Mohammad）伊斯蘭恐怖組織。他們穿著軍裝，於當地時間清晨三時卅分左右潛入巴坦科基地，闖入後即展開濫射。旁遮普省警察首長說，好戰分子稍早前劫走一輛警官座車後，開往這個戒備森嚴的基地。

在現場的匿名印度官員說，安全部隊成功阻止好戰分子造成重大破壞。他說：「他們火力強大，攻擊目的是對基地設備造成最大破壞。」

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/world/asia/india-air-base-attack-pathankot.html

2016-01-03．聯合報．A13．國際．編譯王麗娟