Srinagar: At least four Jaish-e-Mohammed militants stormed the Sunjwan Army camp in Jammu in a pre-dawn fidayeen attack on Saturday and killed two Armymen — a junior commissioned officers (JCO) and non-commissioned officer (NCO) — and injured nine others, including civilians. Three of the attackers were gunned down after a 12-hour operation, the Army said.
Those injured include a major and daughter of the slain JCO, police sources said.
Among the injured four persons, including Major Avijit Singh are said to be in critical conditions. The major has been airlifted to Udhampur where he is being treated at the Army Base Hospital, said Jammu-based defence spokesman Lt. Col. Devender Anand.
The police said that the terrorists launched the attack on Sunjwan Milita-rty Station of 36 Brigade around 4.55 am on Saturday after entering from the rear side of the Army camp where family quarters are located.
The attack follows intelligence inputs warning of an attack on the Army or the security establishment by JeM in view of the death anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged on February 9, 2013.
A defence PRO said, “The Army has killed two heavily armed terrorists. The terrorists were wearing combat uniforms carrying AK-56 assault rifles, large amount of ammunition and hand grenades.”
“Search of their belongings confirmed the terrorists to be from Jaish-e-Mohammed. So far 1 JCO & 1 NCO, both belonging to J&K, have been martyred and 9 others are injured, ” he added.
IGP S.D. Singh Jamwal said, “Suspicious movement was noticed by the sentry and his bunker was fired upon. The fire was retaliated. The number of militants isn’t known.”
Police sources earlier said that the attackers split themselves into two groups and one of these was “isolated” in a corner of a four-storey building within the camp. Following the attack, the authorities ordered closure of schools in Sunjwan belt of Jammu city. “We have ordered closure of schools in Sunjwan area as a precautionary measure in the wake of the attack,” a spokesman of the Jammu divisional commissioner’s office said.
Chief minister Mehbooba Muft expressed anguish over the militant attack and the loss of life. In a tweet, she said, “Deeply disturbed by the terrorist attack in #Sunjwan today. My heart goes out to the injured & their families.”
The Army identified the slain soldiers as JCO Madan Lal Chaudhary of 4 JAKLI (Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry) and non-commissioned officer (NCO) Muhammad Ashraf Mir of 1 JAKLI. The injured include Major Singh of 6 Mahar (head injury), Lance Naik Bahadur Singh of 1 JAKLI (multiple injuries), Havaldar Abdul Hamid Rashid of 1 JAKLI (head injury) and Army personnel’s family members Paramjeet Kaur (40), Neha (20), who is the daughter of the slain JCO, and Somati Jena (head injury).
