Four of the attackers were killed while two IAF personnel died in the gun battle. The manner in which the attack was launched leaves one with the feeling that this was not well planned and badly executed. The fact that they commandeered a police vehicle which gave the superintendent of police travelling in the vehicle enough time to tip off the air base, shows that this was a half-hearted attempt made by poorly trained attackers. But it
nevertheless, points to a sustained effort by operatives across the border to disrupt life and hope that one of the many attacks results in spectacular success. For instance had the terrorists to enter the technical area of the air base they would have caused
huge losses and punched a large hole in the defence system. The Gurdaspur-Pathankot-Jammu area is particularly vulnerable to attacks because it is close to the Pakistan border, which is porous and has high-value defence assets. India cannot afford
to lower its guard because low intensity attacks of this sort will continue. For that matter the attack could have been a way of testing the defence preparedness and to probe for gaps. The incident is a reminder that there is no alternative to surveillance and intelligence gathering to stay one step ahead of terror strikes from across the border.
