J&K: Terrorists dressed in army fatigues today attacked first a police station and then an Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir this morning, killing 12 people, among them a Lieutenant Colonel of the Indian Army. The audacious attack comes just three days before the Prime Minister meets his Pakistani counterpart in the US. Dr Manmohan Singh has called it “one more attack and barbarism by enemies of peace” and made it clear that his plans remain unchanged. “We will not allow it to derail our attempts to find resolution through the dialogue process. Four terrorists entered Jammu region from across the border this morning,” said Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, quoting preliminary reports, according to report.
The heavily armed terrorists attacked the Hiranagar police station in Kathua district of J&K at about 6.45 this morning. They shot the sentry outside and three cops inside the police station and then escaped in a truck that they hijacked, to surface in an Army cantonment in the adjoining Samba district. At the camp, they reportedly walked into the officer’s mess and killed at least five unarmed Army men, including the Lt Col, who was the second in command of the 16 Cavalry, the armored corp. unit attacked today. A gun battle is still on. Army choppers are hovering over the site. CRPF and police personnel have joined the Army in the attempt to flush out the fidayeen or suicide attackers; two of them have reportedly been killed. The commanding officer of 16 Cavalry is among over a dozen people injured in the two attacks. BJP president Rajnath Singh said, “The PM is in a hurry to start dialogue with Pakistan. There should be no talks with Pakistan unless there is a Conducive environment.” Manmohan Singh accused Pakistan of “continuing with its strategy to strike at will through a proxy war of terror. But Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said the terror attacks today were clearly aimed at derailing the proposed dialogue between the two PMs and that not going ahead with the talks would mean “the militants have won. The best answer is to convey our concerns to Pakistan strongly. What stops us from taking a hard line,” Abdullah said to channel.
Bureau Report
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