Militants on Friday struck in a big way two days ahead of the Prime Minister's visit to Jammu and Kashmir, storming an Army camp in Uri in Baramulla district, killing 11 security personnel, including a Lt Col, and following it up with multiple attacks in Srinagar Tral and Shopian.
A top LeT commander and seven militants were also killed in the incidents that left one civilian dead. In a pre-dawn attack ahead of third phase of J-K Assembly elections on December 9, heavily armed militants killed 8 Army men and three policemen around 3.10 AM at the army camp in Mohra in Uri tehsil of north Kashmir's Baramulla district. Six militants were also killed in the attack at the Army camp which is 20 km from the Line of Control (LoC), official sources said. Lt Colonel Sankalp Kumar of Punjab Regiment and seven Army personnel were among the dead. While bodies of four army personnel were charred, one had burn injuries and the other three had bullet injuries, the sources said.
Six AK rifles with 55 magazines, two shotguns, 2 Night Vision Binoculars, 4 Radio Sets, 32 unused Grenades, one Medical Kit and a large quantity of miscellaneous warlike stores were recovered from the dead terrorists.
Uri is about 100 km northwest of Srinagar, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to campaign on Monday. The sources said that Modi will go ahead with his visit to the Valley where he is slated to address a rally.
In Rajouri of Jammu region, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Pakistan should immediately take steps to stop this. "If Pakistan is facing problems in stopping this, then they should talk to India. We are willing to help them.
He said infiltration continues from across the border and the militants enter from Pakistan and create destruction here. "Is Pakistan not answerable to this?" he asked. In Delhi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said, "It is possible that this has happened because of elections." Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack was a "desperate attempt" to disrupt peace and normalcy. "Once again shows the desperate levels militants will go to disrupt peace and normalcy," he tweeted. Police said at least six militants had infiltrated into the Valley from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir recently.
Giving details about the attack, Army officials said a group of heavily armed and well equipped terrorists opened a heavy volume of fire with automatic weapons at the Army camp. Army retaliated immediately with help being drawn from nearby camps as well, they said, adding the operation lasted over six hours. Besides seven jawans and one officer, one ASI and two constables of the Jammu and Kashmir police were killed in the gun-battle, they said.
In Soura in the outskirts of the city, top Lashkar-e- Taiba commander Qari Israr along with his accomplice was killed by security personnel when they were trying to enter the city, police said. They tried to speed away from a check point at Ahmadnagar in Soura but were chased and in the ensuing gun battle, Israr was gunned down. One AK-47 rifle was recovered from him. The other militant, who had taken refuge in a house in the same locality, was also shot down after a brief exchange of fire.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Abdul Ghani Mir said they had inputs about a militant module having entered Srinagar to carry out a major strike in the coming days. In Tral area of South Kashmir, one civilian was killed and six others injured when militants hurled a grenade at a crowded bus stand. Unidentified militants lobbed the grenade on a security patrol at Tral bus stand, 35 kms from here, killing Ghulam Hasan Mir (60) and injuring six others, the police said.
Police have intensified random search of vehicles following intelligence inputs that militants might carry out a suicide attack in the city ahead of the elections and the scheduled rally of the Prime Minister on Monday. In yet another attack, militants hurled a grenade at a police ambush party in Shopian in south Kashmir but there were no reports of any casualty. Shopian area has been vulnerable as militants coming from Doda region through Peer Panjal Range have been using this area as a transit spot. On December 2, Army foiled an infiltration bid in Handwara area of Kupwara district killing six militants while one army personnel was also killed. The infiltration bid was foiled even as people in Kupwara district were voting to elect their representatives.
Also read: Jammu and Kashmir: 11 security men, 6 militants killed in attack on Uri Army camp; fresh encounter breaks out in Soura area of Srinagar
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