Two soldiers, terrorists killed as fidayeen storm army camp in Jammu

In a pre-dawn attack, Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists in combat fatigues stormed an army formation on the outskirts of Jammu city in early hours of Saturday, killing two army officers and injuring  nine security personnel.

Sources said two of the three terrorists involved in the attack were subsequently eliminated by the troops inside the army camp at Sunjwan in Jammu. "The fidayeen (suicide) terrorists believed to be three to four in number, hurling grenades and spraying automatic gunfire entered the family quarters in the camp when everyone was asleep," they said.

In the exchange of firing, junior commissioned officer (JCO) Ashraf Mir and non-commissioned officer (NCO) Madan Lal Chaudhury, who belonged to J&K, lost their lives. Nine people, including five women and children were also injured in the attack and two of them are in critical condition in the hospital. The injured include Col Rohit Solanki of 6-Mahar Regiment and Major Abhijeet, sources added.

A defence spokesperson in Jammu said the terrorists entered the camp after an exchange of fire with a sentry near the family quarters at the rear. "In the early hours today after a brief exchange of fire with sentry on the periphery, some terrorists entered the family accommodation complex," he said.

"Due to the presence of women and children in the housing colony, the operation is being progressed cautiously to minimise the casualties," the spokesperson said and added the Army has so far killed two heavily armed terrorists and recovered two-AK 56 assault rifles, large amount of ammunition and hand grenades.

Sources said IAF para commandos were airlifted to Jammu from Northern Command base in neighbouring Udhampur district, to flush out the fidayeen. Choppers and drones were also used to keep close watch on the movement of the terrorists. The remaining terrorists have been pinned down and the operation is being carried forward cautiously so that no further security force or civilian casualties occur, they said.  

A defence statement said that most of the families have been evacuated from the junior commissioned officers quarters where the terrorists had entered. "Before the final assault on the terrorists, we are making sure that no civilians are harmed in this operation," it added.

All educational institutions within half a kilometre radius of the camp were shut down for the day. The attack is believed to be carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists on the army camp which is spread over many acres and lies in the heart of Jammu along the Jammu-Pathankot highway.  

This is also the second attack on the Sunjwan Military station in 15 years. In 2003, terrorists had barged into its premises and killed nearly a dozen soldiers. The latest attack came a day after the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged in Delhi's Tihar Jail on February 9, 2013. Following the attack, a high alert was sounded in Jammu and security was beefed up in and around the city.