Uri: 17 Army soldiers killed, all four terrorists have been eliminated
Smoke rises from the Army Brigade camp during a terror attack in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. Photo: PTI
URI: 17 Indian Army soldiers were killed on Sunday in an encounter with terrorists, who were all gunned down, at the Army Brigade headquarters in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement, the Army said that a group of heavily armed terrorists targeted the rear administrative base of a unit at Uri, and in the counter action, four terrorists have been eliminated and combing operations are in progress.
“The administrative base had large strength of troops of units turning over after their tour of duty who were stationed in tents/temporary shelters which caught fire, and resulted in heavy casualties. We salute the sacrifice of 17 soldiers who were martyred in the operation,” the statement added.
The terrorists sneaked into the base, about 100 km from Srinagar, around 5:30 am, threw several grenades and fired indiscriminately, causing the most deaths the army has suffered in a single attack in years.
Most of the soldiers were burnt alive when their tents caught fire because of the grenades. The attack took place during a change of command, which means one unit was replacing another and soldiers were in temporary shelters.
Sources said camp could be observed from the hill tops across the border and initial investigations suggest the terrorists were aware that regiments were turning over.
The Director General of Military Operations, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, said the terrorists were foreigners and there are clear signs of the role of the terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, whose chief Masood Azhar is based in Pakistan. The group had been involved in the attack on Pathankot air base in January during which 7 army-men were killed.
The terrorists had “items of Pakistani markings”, said Lt General Singh, adding that he had conveyed “serious concerns” to his Pakistani counterpart. Four AK 47 rifles, grenade launchers and a large number of grenades have been found in search ops.
Around 30 soldiers were injured in a three-hour gunbattle with the terrorists who are believed to have crossed a canal along the Line of Control, cut through the fencing and infiltrated into Kashmir.
“Pakistan is a terrorist state and it should be identified and isolated as such,” Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in tweets, adding that the attackers were “highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped.”
Rajnath Singh postponed a visit to Russia and the US. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Army Chief Dalbir Singh are in Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a statement that the attack appeared to be aimed at creating a “war-like situation” in the region.
More than 80 people have been killed in Kashmir and around 10,000 civilians and security personnel have been injured in clashes since July 8, when terrorist Burhan Wani was killed.
