Attackers carried inflammable liquid, came to burn Uri army camp: Probe

The four militants who attacked the army base in Uri on September 18 wanted to burn down the camp there and carried a highly inflammable liquid to do so, NIA investigators have found.

The four militants who attacked the army base in Uri on September 18 wanted to burn down the camp there and carried a highly inflammable liquid to do so, NIA investigators have found.

The Army Brigade camp that was attacked by militants in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir. (PTI File Photo)

Among 48 items recovered from the attackers, NIA officials found two bottles — one fully filled and another with a few drops — of the inflammable liquid. When tested, just a few drops of the liquid caught fire immediately and kept burning for a long period.

“Forensic experts are now trying to find the exact chemical composition of the liquid,” a home ministry official, who was briefed about the findings, said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the probe.

Investigators confirmed that before Uri attack, no such recovery was made.

“After the Pathankot attack too, it was suspected that the attackers used some kind of inflammable material which resulted in burning of lots of vehicles at the airbase. But we could not find any material from the site to confirm our suspicion,” said a counter-terror official who was involved in the mopping-up exercise after the attack.

Four militants attacked the Uri army base early on September 18, killing 19 soldiers. Most of them lost their lives due to burn injuries sustained after the attackers set fire to the tents where they were sleeping.

The fire had raised suspicion of the use of inflammable material in the attack. The forensic findings confirmed it.

Investigators suspect that the attackers had prior knowledge of the fact that soldiers used to sleep in tents that caught fire.