National Investigation Agency (NIA) achieved a major breakthrough on Saturday with the arrest of a top terrorist who played a key role in the fidayeen attack on the army camp in Nagrota in 2016.
On November 29, 2016, a group of heavily armed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) fidayeens in police uniforms stormed into the highly fortified camp near 16 Corps headquarters and killed seven soldiers including two officers at Nagrota on the strategic Jammu-Srinagar highway
Three militants were later neutralised in the day-long gunfight. Sixteen hostages, including 12 soldiers, two women and two children were safely rescued by the army troops during the day-long gunfight.
Two years later, NIA arrested Syed Muneer-Ul-Hassan Qadri of Hurhama village in Lolab-Lalpora, of Kupwara district. The Jammu and Kashmir Police has played a key role in the arrest of the accused.
"Preliminary interrogation of the arrested accused revealed that the attack was carried out by the Jaish-e-Mohammad, a banned terror group, in furtherance of a well-planned conspiracy from Pakistan", said the NIA in a statement.
The accused, according to NIA, revealed that he, along with other valley-based JeM operatives were in touch with the JeM leadership in Pakistan and had received a freshly infiltrated group of three Pakistani terrorists from the Samba sector a day before the attack.
"They subsequently stayed at a hotel in Jammu and then left the attackers at Nagrota outside the army camp late at night and proceeded to the Kashmir valley," the NIA statement added.
Nagrota was a signature attack of the Afzal Guru Squad of JeM. Three militants split into two groups after barging into the camp to deflect the attention of the security forces. They were firing from two different locations, which prompted the troops to launch two quick reaction teams (QRT) to engage both sets of militants.
One set of militants entered into the Officers' Mess, throwing grenades and firing at the sentries. The first QRT eliminated one of the militants but not before an army major and his partner was killed.
The second set of militants barged into two residential buildings occupied by officers, their families and other soldiers. Militants wanted to take them hostage and stay for a longer time. However, the second QRT engaged them too and neutralised both militants. Another major and three other soldiers were killed in the process.
Lives Lost
- The two groups of terrorists were dealt with by two Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) formed by the Army personnel present at the camp on November 29, 2016
- The attack led to the death of a major and his partner in the Officers’ Mess as they engaged with one group of militants. Another major and three soldiers were martyred while dealing with the second group
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