3 militants, civilian killed in attack on Army camp

SRINAGAR: Three militants, who tried to storm an Army base close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district, were killed in a six-hour-long gunfight. A civilian working at the camp was also killed while two Army men, including an officer, were injured in the gunfight.

An Army jawan takes position towards the camp which was attacked by militants at Tangdhar in Kupwara district on Wednesday. PTI

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 24

Three militants, who tried to storm an Army base close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district, were killed in a six-hour-long gunfight. A civilian working at the camp was also killed while two Army men, including an officer, were injured in the gunfight.

This was the second unsuccessful attempt by militants to storm an Army base in Tangdhar area this year. Srinagar-based defence spokesman Lt Col NN Joshi said a search operation was under way in the area.

Defence sources said a group of heavily armed militants lobbed grenades and opened fire at a 3/1 GR battalion at Kulsuri Ridge in Tangdhar sector, around 135 km from here, around 7 am today. They made an unsuccessful attempt to sneak into the camp.

“The group probably entered from the Sanjoi side of the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) last night. The LoC is only 5 km from the encounter site. Initial indications suggest it was a pre-planned attack,” a Defence official said.

“A civilian employee of the Military Engineering Service (MES) contractor and a Junior Commissioner Officer were injured,” sources said. The civilian, identified as 22-year-old Tanweer Ahmed, succumbed to his injuries later. The JCO was taken to the Kupwara military hospital where his condition was stated to be stable.

An oil dump situated there caught fire during the exchange of fire and two vehicles of the Army and a hut were damaged.

The Quick Reaction Team (QRT) of the Army and elite commandos were rushed to the area to take on the militants. A Deputy Commander of 104 Brigade, a Colonel-rank officer, led from the front and had a narrow escape during the gunfight. “A bullet grazed his ear, causing a minor injury. After being treated, he again led the operation,” sources said.

The militants later tried to take shelter in residential houses near the camp. “Three militants were killed during the operation and three assault rifles were seized from their possession,” they said. Combing continued in the area to ensure that no militant was hiding there.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack. A caller who identified himself as spokesperson of the outfit Muhammad Hasan Shah told a Srinagar-based news agency that the militants of the group stormed the camp. The militants inflicted heavy damage on the forces, he claimed.

On May 31 this year, four militants were killed after they crossed the LoC and were intercepted by soldiers near Bakhiyan village, close to the Army’s 104 Infantry Brigade headquarters.