Pathankot attack: US confirms Pakistan's involvement in terror strike

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The United States has reportedly confirmed that the Pathankot attack emanated from Pakistan.

On 2 January, 2016, Pathankot Air Force base was attacked by a heavily-armed group. Six Indian security personnel were killed in the attack. The Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) was accused of choreographing the attack.

According to TheTimes of India, the US informed the NIA (National Investigation Agency) that IP addresses of Facebook accounts of JeM handlers who masterminded the attack, and the IP address of the website of the outfit's financial arm, Al Rahmat Trust, are located in Pakistan.

"The US has confirmed that all these websites and IP addresses originated in Pakistan and the photos were uploaded around the time of the Pathankot attack," the report quoted a US official as saying.

The probe also revealed that the Facebook groups accessed by JeM handler Kashif Jaan's friends were related to jihad. The JeM also had photos of the four slain terrorists - Nasir Hussain, Hafiz Abu Bakar, Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum.

"The alleged JeM handler who communicated by telephone over two-dozen times with the terrorists in Pathankot before they carried out the attack on the airbase on 2 January, has managed to cross into Afghan border," a member of the Joint Investigation Team probing the attack told dna.