Jaish militants strike at army camp in Jammu, 2 JCO’s killed 

 

Jammu: Two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and two militants were killed while a Colonel rank officer and daughter of an Army personnel were among four persons injured as militants attacked the Sunjwan Army camp in Jammu city early Saturday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Veeri said.

The minister informed the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly that Subedar Madanlal Chowdhary and Subedar Mohammed Ashraf Mir were killed in the attack by a group of militants.

Those injured included a Colonel rank Army officer, Havaldar Abdul Hamid, Lance Naik Bahadur Singh and daughter of Subedar Chowdhary, he said amid protests by BJP members who raised anti-Pakistan slogans in the House.

While the minister did not specify the group affiliation of the militants who carried out the attack, officials said Jaish-e-Mohammed militants were behind the terror strike.

The exact number of militants is not known but as per initial calls received at PCR Jammu 4 to 5 militants were involved, he said.

DGP S P Vaid said the militants entered from the rear side of Sunjwan Army camp where the family quarters are located. The militants have been isolated, they said.

IGP, Jammu SD Singh Jamwal told reporters here that “around 4:55 am suspicious movement was noticed by the sentry and his bunker was fired upon. The fire was retaliated. The number of militants isn’t known. They’ve been cornered in one of the family quarters.”

Security forces and police have cordoned off the area around the Sunjwan Army camp. The camp falls under the first Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry in 36 Brigade.

Soon after the attack, reinforcements of the Army s special forces and SOG rushed to the spot and cordoned off the whole area amid a fierce gunfight, security official said.

According to the reports, the Indian Air Force commandos were called in from Udhampur base to Jammu. Meanwhile, aircrafts were pressed into the operation to neutralize the militants hiding in the residential quarters of the camp.

Meanwhile, security was heightened in Udhampur after the attack on Sunjwan Army camp in Jammu.

Schools in the entire area around the Sunjwan camp have been closed by authorities as a precautionary measure.

A high alert has been sounded in Jammu and security beefed up in and around the city.

Intelligence inputs had warned of an attack on the Army or security establishment by Jaish-e -Mohammed in view of the death anniversary of Afzal Guru who was hanged on February 9, 2013.

Police sources said that the operation in the area is still going on while as forces have been able to shoot a militant involved in the attack.

“One militant has been shot dead and huge ammunition and a jaish flag has been recovered from his possession,” a police official said.

Meanwhile, army said that operations are underway to pin down the militants who are holed up in the Sunjwan Army camp.

 

“Security forces are being extra cautious in clearing the camp to conduct the search. The Army has been extra careful due to the presence of several women and children who were in the housing colony when the armed militants attacked the camp on Saturday morning,” a statement from the army said.

However, the Army has clearly said that there is no hostage crisis at the camp and 19 of the 26 flats have been evacuated while operations are on to evacuate the rest as well. “Due to the presence of women and children in the housing colony, the operations are being progressed cautiously to minimise casualties,” Army said in a statement.

 

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