Third militant holed up in Jammu Army camp killed

Bodies of three Army personnel, civilian found.

February 11, 2018 10:40 am | Updated November 28, 2021 08:01 am IST - Srinagar

 Security personnel take position near the encounter site outside 36 Brigade army camp in Sunjuwan area.

Security personnel take position near the encounter site outside 36 Brigade army camp in Sunjuwan area.

A day after the pre-dawn militant attack on its Sunjwan camp in Jammu, the Army said on Sunday that it found the bodies of three of its personnel and a civilian, taking the toll to six, and gunned down three suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad militants.

Five Army men, including two junior commissioned officers (JCOs), and the father of a soldier have been killed in the attack by the fidayeen, who struck at the sprawling camp of the 36 Brigade of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JKLI) on Saturday, an Army spokesperson said.

In a statement, Jammu-based Army PRO Lt. Col. Devender Anand said three heavily armed militants were killed in the ongoing operation. While two were gunned down on Saturday, the body of the third was found on Sunday, he said.

The third Jaish-e-Mohammad militant killed was also heavily armed like the two others killed on Saturday. “He was also wearing a combat dress and carrying an AK-56, Under Barrel Grenade Launcher, ammunition and grenades,” Lt. Col. Devender Anand told The Hindu .

According to the police, the firing between the holed-up militants and the security forces was on till 2 a.m. on Sunday. Ten civilians, including six women and children, were also injured in the past two days.

Boy critical

“The condition of a 14-year-old boy remains critical,” said the Army, which continued with the sanitising operation till late Sunday evening. Over 150 houses on the premises were cleared and the occupants moved to safety during the operation.

Meanwhile, a woman was killed as Pakistani troops resorted to fresh ceasefire violation in the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch on Sunday. An official said the woman, identified as Parveen Akhter, was hit by the firing around 10.30 p.m. on Saturday when Pakistan used small arms and shells in Pkukherni and Lairan villages of Nowshera. The villages are situated on the Line of Control. The victim was inside her house.

Fresh shelling was reported in Rajouri’s Naika Panjgrain, Khorinar and Rajdhani villages on the LoC. The Pakistan Army also fired mortar shells in Khadi Karmara in Poonch around 11 a.m.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday condemned the militant attack on the Army camp. “All Indians, across political lines, stand united with our Army men and women. My prayers and thoughts are with the families of those killed and injured,” Mr. Gandhi said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, a youth, identified as Adil Ahamd Wagay, was hit by bullets when Army opened fire on stone-throwing protesters, according to the locals. The incident took place at Shopian’s Bargipora village. The youth was injured in the leg. The police said they are ascertaining the facts.

There was tension in parts of Shopian after an 18-year-old woman, Saima Wani, succumbed to her injuries in a Srinagar hospital on Sunday. Ms. Wani was hit by bullets near an encounter site on January 24 in Shopian’s Keegam area.

Meanwhile Congress general secretary and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad visited injured jawans and their family members at the Satwati Army hospital on Sunday.

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