3 soldiers killed as terrorists try to storm army camp in J&K’s Rajouri

The attack was the first such assault in the region since February 2018 when terrorists attacked an army camp at Sunjuwan in Jammu and left six soldiers and one civilian dead

Three soldiers were killed in a gunbattle that was triggered after two terrorists tried to storm an army camp before dawn at Pargal in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Thursday. The terrorists were shot dead as their attempt to enter the camp was foiled.

A search operation was launched after the attack. (ANI )

The army said the firefight was sparked after sentries detected suspicious persons approaching the camp taking advantage of the inclement weather and dense foliage around 40 km from the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The sentries challenged the two terrorists who threw grenade while attempting to gain entry inside the post. ...alert troops cordoned the area and engaged them in a firefight thereby pinning them. In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were neutralised,” it said in a statement. It added six soldiers were injured and three of them later succumbed to their injuries.

The army identified the three as subedar Rajendra Prasad and riflemen Manoj Kumar and Lakshmanan D. Prasad was from Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu while Lakshmanan belonged to Madurai in Tamil Nadu and Kumar to Haryana’s Faridabad.

Additional director general of police Mukesh Singh said additional parties were despatched for the location which is around six km from the nearest police station in Darhal. He added a search operation was on. It was not immediately clear whether there were more attackers on the loose.

The attack was the first such assault in the region since February 2018 when terrorists attacked an army camp at Sunjuwan in Jammu and left six soldiers and one civilian dead. In 2016, 19 soldiers were killed in a similar attack on an army brigade headquarters near Uri along the LoC. It was the deadliest such attack in the region in two decades and prompted a cross-border retaliation.

There has been a spike in violence in Jammu and Kashmir this year with mostly civilians including migrant workers being at its receiving end. On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir Police said they have averted an attack by recovering a 25 kg improvised explosive device in the Kashmir region’s Pulwama.

In a tweet, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah condemned the Rajouri attack. “Very sorry to hear about the death in the line of duty of three soldiers following a militant attack in Rajouri. While condemning the attack I send my condolences to the families and my prayers for the swift recovery of those officers and jawans injured in the attack.”