Terrorists entered army camp through unguarded nullah

An unguarded nullah allowed the terrorists a free passage to the Surjawan army camp in Jammu. The nullah had no boundary wall, which helped the terrorists intrude into the residential complex targeting families of soldiers, without getting noticed, sources said.

DNA got a blow-by-blow account of the attack that killed five army men and a soldier's father, and injured another six soldiers and three civilians.

While three terrorists were gunned down, there might have been others who escaped. Sources say there is a possibility that the fourth one was a handler.

Explaining the sequence of events, a source told how the terrorists headed straight to the residential area. "The boundary wall meant near the nullah was not fully constructed. This probably aided the terrorists," the source added.

A function was on at the residence of one of the soldiers; their door was kept ajar, making them easy targets. They were Kashmiris. Another soldier's kin pleaded to leave the Kashmiris alone.

The attack was carried out in three blocks, starting early morning on January 10.

January 10, between 4:45 am and 5 am

Early morning, a group of terrorists stormed into the Surjawan military station targeting the families of soldiers. They headed for the family quarters straight away and attacked three blocks of the residential complex one by one.

In the first assault, terrorists entered the house of one of the jawans injuring him and his wife.

Subedar Mohammed Ashraf Mir was killed as terrorists opened fire at his house, injuring his child, too.

A family get-together in Madan Lal Choudhary's home made the family easy targets as the doors were open, giving them easy access.

With minutes, three to five quick reaction teams pressed into action to contain the attack.

By 7 am, special forces were pressed into action; multiple layers to evacuate the residents and take on the terrorists were put in place.

Around 10 am, heavy firing started and the first terrorist was gunned down.

For nearly four hours there was an uneasy calm with no firing. This is when the forces tried to establish contact with the terrorists and at the same time evacuate the families to safety.

At 2:30 pm, contact with terrorists was re-established as firing started again. The second terrorist gets killed. This was followed by another long period of lull.

Sources said this is the time when the major evacuation drive was carried out, as 125 houses had to be cleared. "It was a major operation to ensure that families are taken to safety," said an army source.

At 7:30 pm, a major surveillance operation began with helicopters and search lights to hunt down the other terrorists.

January 11

At 7 am, after a quiet night, there was fresh firing and the third terrorist was killed.

This was the last round of firing. The army then sanitised the area and a house to house clearance operation was carried out.

January 12

On Monday, the operation entered its third day and was technically called off, though searches continued.

A dense jungle south of the residential campus was combed thoroughly to ensure no other terrorist is in hiding there. The area was sanitised; however, a gun shot from the area triggered speculations of the fourth terrorist still lurking around.

Weak perimetre security

The absence of a boundary wall along the nullah from where the terrorists entered has once again exposed the chinks in the armour vis-a-vis security at military stations. A security audit of military stations was carried out after the attack on the Pathankot Air Force Station in 2016. Since then there have been a series of raids by terrorists targeting such camps.

The plan to enhance security features in military installations, including a nine-foot wall with an electric fence equipped with sensors, has been pending for two years due to lack of funds. It will likely be pushed finally, as the government has sanctioned Rs 1,487 crore for the project.

BEEF UP SECURITY

• The plan to enhance security features in military installations, including a nine-foot wall with an electric fence equipped with sensors, has been pending for two years due to lack of funds.
   
• It will likely be pushed finally, as the government has sanctioned Rs 1,487 crore for the project.