Kurmitola was still under attack when the strike element of the squadron started up, in anticipation of clearance from Theatre for counter offensive action. This clearance was some time in coming, and it was not until 0635 hours that the mission was on its way to Kalaikuncla. It consisted of 5 aircraft with Squadron Leader Shabbir H Syed, the squadron commander, in the lead. The other members were Flight Lieutenant Baseer Khan, Flight Lieutenant Tariq Habib Khan, Flying Officer Afzal Khan, and Flight Lieutenant Abdul Haleem.

Under difficult visibility conditions, the strike mission flew on, just managing to stick together, often without any visual contact. However, it was not long before the leader reported the target in sight; there were, four confident calls of 'contact' from his team, and as they pulled up for the attack, Shabbir's formation was rewarded by the sight of Canberras and Hunters lying mostly unguarded on the airfield. The surprise, it seems, was complete; the Indians had probably never imagined that such a small force could react with such speed and audacity against odds so heavily weighted against it, and that, too, at the very limits of its reach into Indian territory.

The raiders put in three attacks, and when they exited, the airfield lay ablaze behind them. Ten aircraft were estimated to have been destroyed, (add F-86u.jpg, F-86e.jpg) while several aircraft and a number of installations were damaged. The mission landed back at Dhaka at 0744 hours. Not content, however, with having delivered this significant blow to draw first blood, the-squadron pursued the initiative further, and at 1030 hours a second strike mission was ready to leave for Kalaikuncla, led this time by Flight Lieutenant Haleem. Later it was thought that it might have been wiser not to send this second strike.

Take off was at about 1030 hours and the approach was made at low level as before, although in fairly poor visibility; but this time the Indians were ready. As the F-86s pulled up for their attack, No 4 called on the radio "Nine Hunters, 12 o'clock high", and heavy ack ack fire was simultaneously encountered from the airfield. From their battle formation, the F-86s split into two pairs as the leader ordered his No 3 and 4 not to follow him into the attack, but during their single pass, the first two Sabres each strafed a Canberra. Before this strike, the remaining Indian bombers had been removed from the tarmac into protected dispersals, presumably on the principle of better late than never.

All 4 F-86s then turned to engage the Indian aircraft, and Flight Lieutenant Tariq Habeeb, who was leading the second pair of Sabres, called, ','Lead, I have four Hunters behind me". He also told his No 2, Afzal Khan, to jettison his tanks and break. With four drop tanks beneath the wings, the Sabres were very sluggish, and before Afzal could release them a Hunter had closed in to about 600 ft and opened fire. The F-86 burst into flames, and rolled straight into the ground. Tariq Habeeb had in the meantime jettisoned three of his tanks, but the fourth hung up and with this handicap he was cornered by 3 Hunters for a good ten minutes. With remarkable coolness and presence of mind, he twisted and turned at low altitude to evade his pursuers, popping out his speed brakes and lowering flap to improve his low speed manoeuvreability. Even after his flap stuck down at 20 degrees he managed to continue breaking into the Hunters, as well as firing at a couple of them, before he succeeded in shaking them off and returning safely to Dhaka, several anxious minutes after the other 2 Sabres had landed. For his courage and skill in fighting his way clear of the larger and better equipped enemy force, Tariq Habeeb was awarded a well deserved Sitara-e-Jurat. 14 Squadron earned the nickname of the 'Tail Choppers', alluding to the swath of bullets they used at Kalaikuncla to cut through the tails of IAF's neatly lined up Canberras. In West Pakistan, the PAF had cut off the head of the Indian Air Force, and in their two sorties on 7 September, the pilots of 14 Squadron did an equally good job with the tail.

This second raid is estimated to have bagged 4 to 6 aircraft, mainly Canberras, for the loss of one Sabre. Thus the day's toll on the IAF in the east was about 14-16 aircraft destroyed, and 6-8 aircraft damaged. The losses, on the other hand, were one Sabre destroyed with its pilot Flying Officer Afzal lost, and one Sabre - Flight Lieutenant Tariq Habeeb's -rendered permanently unserviceable for want of spares. Though this in itself was not much, the aircraft strength of the squadron was now reduced to 8.

After the 7th, weather conditions remained generally unfavourable and flying proportionately restricted. CAP missions were flown whenever possible, in anticipation of any Indian retaliation, but this never came. Counter air operations, when permitted by the infrequent breaks in weather, comprised one 4-aircraft strike against Baghdogra on the 10 September, and one such strike each against Barrackpore and Agartala on the 14 September. Due to the enemy's retreat to deeper bases, however, the squadron's total bag in these strikes was 5 transport aircraft, 2 fighters, I Canberra and a helicopter-hardly the kind of fare to satiate appetites whetted by Kalaikuncla.