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| Indian soldier involved in a previous anti-terrorist operation |
PATHANKOT, India — A fresh gun battle erupted Sunday at the Indian air force base attacked by suspected Islamic militants a day earlier with the loss of 11 lives, police said.
Officers said they believe up to two gunmen were still hiding inside the base.
Seven soldiers including a senior officer and four attackers have so far been confirmed killed during the raid on the Pathankot base in the northern state of Punjab, near the border with Pakistan.
The assault — a rare targeting of an Indian military installation outside disputed Kashmir — threatens to undermine improving relations with Pakistan.
It came just about a week after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to Pakistan, the first by an Indian premier in 11 years.
"We suspect one or two terrorists are hiding inside. They are firing intermittently," Pathankot police chief Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh told AFP.
An AFP reporter near the site also confirmed gunfire from inside the base.
Local media reports said one of the militants was killed in a counter-assault. There was no immediate confirmation.
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