6th militant killed at air base

Indian security forces killed one more gunman on Sunday at an air base attacked by militants a day earlier, leaving one assailant still suspected at large in the sprawling facility near the border with Pakistan.

Gunfire and blasts were heard as security forces hunted the lone remaining attacker in the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot, a day after the raid in which five attackers and six Indian military personnel have now been killed.

The attack by gunmen disguised as soldiers came a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unscheduled visit to Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in an effort to revive talks between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Officials said the attack bore the hallmarks of previous suspected assaults by Pakistan-based militant groups, underscoring the fragility of recent efforts to revive bilateral talks between the often uneasy neighbours.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Pakistan has condemned the attack and said it wanted to continue to build on the goodwill created by the impromptu meeting between Modi and Sharif last month.

An army official confirmed the death of the militant as the operation to secure the base - used by MiG-21 fighter jets and attack helicopters - stretched into a second day on Sunday. He did not elaborate.

Indian leaders had already praised the armed forces for their heroism in Saturday's 15-hour shootout, with Modi saying they did not let the "enemies of humanity" who attacked the base succeed.

Another gunman was confirmed killed on Sunday in an operation to clear an Indian air base after a militant attack, a home ministry source told Reuters, bringing the total number of assailants eliminated to six.

"The decision to blow up the one of the administrative units was taken to neutralise the sixth militant. It was also needed to makes sure we destroy live grenades," the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The source said it was not yet clear whether the air base was now fully secured but efforts were under way to complete the operation before nightfall.

At least six Indian military personnel have died since gunmen launched an audacious pre-dawn attack on Saturday on the Indian Air Force Base at Pathankot, just 25 km (16 miles) from the border with Pakistan.