Srinagar, October 3 (NIA): At least one trooper of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) was killed and another injured when suspected militants opened fire on an Indian army camp in Kashmir on Sunday night, according to The Hindustan Times.
This is apparently in reply to India’s conducting a “surgical strike” against a militant camp in Pakistan last week in which 38 militants were reportedly killed. Earlier, on September 18, Pakistani militants had attacked an Indian army base at Uri in Kashmir and killed 18 Indian soldiers. India said all the attacking militants were killed in the fierce gun battle.
Sunday’ attack on the camp of India’s 46 Rashtriya Rifles in Baramulla, which also houses a unit of the Border Security Force (BSF), started at around 10:30 pm and repeated exchanges of fire ensued, reports said.
The suspected militants threw grenades and opened fire with automatic weapons.
The attackers tried to enter the camp through a public park, reported the Times of India. They then took positions on the banks of the Jhelum river, the Bandipora police control room said.
It was not clear whether the attackers had breached the army camp perimeter.
The Indian Army’s Northern Command said the situation is “contained and under control”, without saying whether any suspected militants had been killed or captured.
The camp is located in Janbazpora on the outskirts of Baramulla city, 54 km from capital Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir.
The city of Baramulla is a garrison town and has a heavy presence of Indian security forces.
Soaring tensions
Earlier in September, in one of the worst episodes of cross-border firing along the Line of Control, at 18 Indian army men were killed in a militant attack on an army camp in Uri, Kashmir. At least two Pakistan Army soldiers were killed as Indian troops opened fire on the first line of defense.
India also claimed to have performed a “surgical strike’ by crossing the disputed boundary and killed 38 militants. The Indian claims were rubbished by Pakistan Army ,which said that it was routine cross border firing.
Later it emerged that an Indian soldier of the 27 Rashtriya Rifles was captured by the Pakistan army, while Indian soldiers were also killed in the episode of firing across the LoC.
An Indian army official based in New Delhi said, “It is confirmed one soldier from 37 Rashtriya Rifles with weapons has inadvertently crossed over to the Pakistan side of the Line of Control”.
At least seven Indian armed forces personnel were killed when suspected militants attacked an Indian air force base at Pathankot on January 7 this year.
Four suspected militants were also killed in the fighting.
The attack by gunmen disguised as soldiers came a week after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unscheduled visit to Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in an effort to revive talks between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Pakistan condemned the attack and said it wanted to continue to build on the goodwill created by the impromptu meeting between Modi and Sharif.
