Nagrota attack: Terrorists planned to 'blow up trains'

New Delhi: Strong evidence has emerged suggesting that the two terror attacks that rocked Jammu on Tuesday were executed with Pakistan’s active assistance, security agencies have informed the Central government.

On Tuesday, seven soldiers, including two officers, were killed and six others wounded as terrorists stormed an Army camp in Nagrota, while the Border Security Force (BSF) foiled an infiltration bid by killing three militants in Samba. in Nagrota, three terrorists were also killed.

Those killed in Samba had plans to carry out a chain of terror attacks by blowing up running trains and tracks with chained IEDs and hard-to-detect liquid explosives, the BSF said. Senior BSF official D.K. Uphadayaya said, “Chain IEDs are mainly used to blow up rail tracks and hit running trains. They were carrying with them five bottles of liquid explosive that contained trinitroglycerin. It is used to cause explosion and trigger fire”.

The BSF said that the three militants might have crawled through an 80-metre-long tunnel under farmlands to cross the International Border (IB). BSF sources claim that the tunnel could not have been constructed without support and knowledge of Pakistani Rangers, and that in all probability they facilitated it.

BSF chief chief K.K. Sharma said the paramilitary force had “strong inputs” about possible infiltration bids by terrorists from across the IB following the Indian Army’s surgical strikes on terror launch pads in September, and hence it was “in a position” to detect and neutralise the heavily-armed militants. Mr Sharma said that the force would raise the issue of tunnels along the international border with Pakistani counterparts.

On Wednesday, Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag visited Nagrota even as combing operations at the base were underway and live or unexploded bombs left behind by the three slain militants were defused.

Arms, ammunition and some other materials with Pakistani markings were recovered from the three killed militants, suspected to be from JeM, a terror outfit also responsible for a similar attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in January this year. Security forces also recovered a note in Urdu stating the attack was to revenge the hanging of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru.

Nagrota’s Army camp is barely 30 to 35 km from the international border and security agencies have information that this ``strategic location’’ was chosen by JeM handlers in Pakistan’s spy agency ISI. Initial investigations have also revealed that the militants had support from some local sympathisers.

Meanwhile, the BSF is planning to put in place “smart fencing” along the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh where there would be greater reliance on technology using laser walls and surveillance.

The attack at Nagrota is the most audacious one in J&K since terrorists killed 19 soldiers in Kashmir’s Uri in September. The Uri attack had led to India’s anti-terror strikes across the LoC and continued border casualties.

About 20 Indian soldiers have been killed in border skirmishes and terror attacks in the past one month. The BSF said 15 Pakistan Rangers and 10 militants have been killed since India’s surgical strikes.