The gunfire started at around 3:30 am, authorities said, adding that an official car was used to launch the attack. The incident is being seen as connected to the hijacking of a police car a day ago.
Gunfire is being heard from inside the air base and reports suggest the terrorists have been contained in a non-operational area of the facility.
The technical area where MiG 29 fighter aircraft and helicopters are kept is safe, officials said.
The National Security Guard or the NSG has been called in, authorities said. Helicopters have also dispatched to the area for assistance in operation.
According to official sources, intelligence inputs had alerted security forces of a possible terror attack late yesterday following which the security had been increased in the area.
The strike is being suspected to have been launched by the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed who wanted to damage military assets in the area officials said.
The attack comes within six months of the Gurdaspur terrorist strike where three terrorists equipped with grenades and AK-47s, opened fire in Dinanagar killing three civilians.
The terrorists were shot dead after a 12-hour long gun battle with the security forces in which four policemen were also killed.
| Update from An Nahar at 1:00 p.m. ET: |
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....
state.
"The operation is just over. All four murderous Moslems are dead," Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, Deputy Inspector General of police for Pathankot region, told AFP.
Singh did not confirm reports that up to three Indian security personnel had been killed carrying out the operation.
The attackers, suspected to be from the Pakistain-based Jaish-e-Mohammed Islamist group, struck at Pathankot air base at around 3:30 am (2200 GMT) Saturday.
"They are from Jaish, Jaish has grabbed credit," Indian army Lieutenant General Satish Dua told news hounds in televised remarks.