On Pathankot attack, Army Chief Dalbir Singh Suhag has said there was "no coordination issue" between forces
After Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
warned of payback for those who have harmed India, "at a time and place of our choosing", Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag said today: "The Army is ready to carry out any task."
General Suhag also said: "But I don't want to comment on what the defence minister said."
Speaking to reporters on the January 2 Pathankot terror attack, the Army chief asserted that there was "
no issue of coordination" between forces during the operation to neutralize the six terrorists who attacked the air base.
"I can assure that there was no issue of coordination between the forces at Pathankot," he said.
General Suhag was responding to allegations that there was a lack of inter-agency cooperation and coordination, and the three days taken by the forces to kill all the terrorists and sanitise the base was too long.
"There were two soldiers in the building where two terrorists were holed up. We had to first pull them out and then launch the offensive for the terrorists. It was not an easy operation and we took our time to reduce or minimise the casualties," said the army chief.
"The time taken to complete the operations should be left to the commander on the ground," he added.
India has alleged that the
attack was orchestrated by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.
In the daring pre-dawn attack by terrorists who crossed the border and opened fire at the base, seven military personnel were killed and 20 were wounded. General Suhag said the soldiers were killed in the first few minutes and "our forces didn't suffer any casualties after the first contact."
The government has confronted criticism that a
series of security lapses allowed the terrorists to enter the heavily-fortified base from where India's Russian-made fleet of MiG-21 fighter jets and Mi-35 attack helicopters fly.
The Army chief said: "How the terrorists got in despite the intelligence is being looked at by the NIA (National Investigation Agency). It is of concern and will one of key lessons learnt."
According to him, the terrorists used "gaps along the Punjab border" after failing to enter through Jammu and Kashmir.