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Soldier injured as terrorists open fire at Sunjuwan army base in Jammu
Army using drones to locate attackers, who fired at the base from a ‘stand-off distance’ using a sniper rifle between 10am and 10.30am on Monday.
Just a fortnight before the first phase of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18, a soldier was injured when terrorists opened fire from outside the Sunjuwan army base in Jammu on Monday morning, triggering a search operation in the high-security area.
Police said the special operations group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the army have launched a joint operation in the area to locate and neutralise the terrorists, who fired from a “stand-off distance” outside the base.
“Some firing shots were heard outside the base near Sunjuwan military station, resulting in an army jawan sustaining injuries. A search operation is underway. Details are awaited,” said a police spokesperson.
“Terrorists seem to have carried out the stand-off attack using a sniper rifle. A few gunshots were heard in the area and nothing thereafter,” said defence sources.
Sunjuwan brigade is the largest military base in Jammu city and was targeted by Pakistan-backed terrorists on February 10, 2018, when terrorists killed six soldiers and a civilian.
On Monday’s attack, Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Suneel Bartwal said, “The fire came from a distance outside the base between 10am to 10.30am. (Search) operations have been launched.”
Additional reinforcements have been rushed to the area and the army is using drones to locate the attackers.
The Sunjuwan brigade headquarters is located on the Jammu-Kunjwani bypass that is part of the national highway to Srinagar. The army base is surrounded by densely populated localities of Bhatindi, Jalalabad, Abotabad, and Chowadhi.
High-profile leaders to address poll rallies
The incident comes even as the region is gearing up for election rallies by high-profile national leaders as it heads for assembly elections after a decade.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are expected to address election rallies in region.
It may be recalled that PM Modi was to address a rally at Samba’s Palli village on April 24, 2022, when two Jaish terrorists and a CISF officer were killed and 10 others were injured in a pre-dawn attack near Sunjuwan military station on April 22 that year.
The attack site at Jalalabad in Sunjuwan was 17 km from Palli.
Major terror strikes on security camps/installations in J&K
May 14, 2002: Kaluchak military station in Jammu was attacked by three terrorists from Pakistan. The trio first waylaid a Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus on Jammu-Pathankot highway and killed seven passengers before storming the station where they killed 23 persons, including 10 children, and five army soldiers.
On June 28, 2003:Two LeT terrorists cut through barbed wires to enter Sunjuwan military base in Jammu to sneak in and launch one of the most deadly attacks that left 12 soldiers dead and nine others injured, before they were shot dead after a five-hour gunbattle.
March 20, 2015: A suicide squad in army fatigues stormed a police station in Kathua district, killing seven persons, including three security forces personnel, and two civilians. Two militants were killed.
September 18, 2016: 19 soldiers were killed in an attack by Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists on an army brigade headquarters near Uri in Kashmir.
November 30, 2016: Seven soldiers, including two Majors, were killed when militants dressed as policemen, stormed a military camp in Nagrota, which also has Army’s 16 Corps headquarters.
January 9, 2017: Three labourers were killed in a GREF camp in Akhnoor by armed terrorists.
February 10, 2018: Terrorists stormed Sunjuwan Brigade stration in Jammu city and killed six soldiers and a civilian. The coincided with the death anniversary of Afzal Guru.
August 11, 2022: Five soldiers were killed in a suicide attack on an army camp in Darhal of Rajouri district. Both terrorists were also killed
December 18, 2022: Two civilians killed in an attack outside an army camp in Rajouri.
Location
Sunjuwan Brigade is located on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway (NH44). It is on the outskirts of Jammu, 6km from the railway station. The brigade, surrounded by densely populated civilian localities, houses army personnel and their families.
