Militants kill 12 in J&K ahead of Manmohan-Sharif talks
JAMMU/NEW DELHI: At least twelve people, including a lieutenant colonel of Indian Army, were killed and four injured in twin terror attacks by a single 'fidayeen' suicide squad in Kathua and Samba districts of Jammu region on Thursday morning.
The twin attacks came ahead of the September 29 scheduled meet between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the United States.
Police sources said an Army officer identified as Lt Col Bikramjeet Singh and two soldiers were killed when terrorists struck at 16 cavalierly, an Army Camp in Mesar area of Samba district on Thursday morning. The gunbattle between the fidayeen and the security forces is still going on.
No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
A group of three to four terrorists barged into the Hiranagar police station of Kathua district at around 0645 hours. The gunmen fired at the police station indiscriminately, killing five cops and then fled away towards the highway."A group of militants had reportedly sneaked into the Indian territory from across the International Border (IB), which is close to Hiranagar police station," sources said.
"The terrorists probably boarded a truck on the national highway, at gun point. They shot dead the conductor and reached an Army camp in Samba district. Then they shot dead the truck driver too," sources told the TOI.
On reaching Samba, they entered the Army Camp at Mesar, lobbed a grenade and fired indiscriminately.
"A fierce gun battle triggered between the suicide squad and the troops inside the Army base camp in which an Army officer (Lt Col) and two jawans were killed and four soldiers got injured," a defence spokesman said. He added that the encounter was still on inside the camp.
"The area has been cordoned while the traffic on Jammu-Pathankot national highway has been suspended due to the ongoing gunbattle," the spokesman said. The toll may rise as some of the injured people are critical.
In a similar attack on May 11, 2008 militants killed four people including a photojournalist in Kaili Mandi area of Samba district. On May 14, 2002, fidyayeen killed at least 32 persons, most of them members of families of Army personnel, and injured over 60 at Kalu Chak in one of the the worst-ever terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir.
Condemning the attacks, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah extended his condolences to the families of those killed. He said the terror attacks were aimed to derail the peace process between India and Pakistan.
Terrorists came from across the border, Shinde says
Four terrorists, who carried out attacks in Jammu region, came from across the border on Thursday morning, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.
"As per preliminary information, the four terrorists came from across the border," the minister told reporters here.
PM condemns terror attacks, vows to defeat terrorism
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday strongly condemned the "provocative" terror strikes in Jammu region by the "enemies of peace", but said such attacks will not succeed in derailing efforts to resolve all problems through a process of dialogue.
Singh, who will be meeting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York on Sunday for talks, said: "the terrorist menace" continues to receive "encouragement and reinforcement" from Pakistan and India is firmly resolved to combat and defeat such forces.
"This is one more in a series of provocations and barbaric actions by the enemies of peace," Singh said in a statement here en route to the US.
"Such attacks will not deter us and will not succeed in derailing our efforts to find a resolution to all problems through a process of dialogue," he said, indicating that the talks with Sharif will go ahead as per schedule.
"No words are strong enough to condemn the heinous terrorist attack on Hira Nagar police station and Army camp at Sambha in Jammu and Kashmir this morning," Singh said.
"I convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the brave army and police officers as well as the innocent civilian martyred in this cowardly attack," he added.
At the meeting on September 29, the Indian side will see what the new Pakistan Prime Minister, who has made "some nice statements" about the relationship, has to offer to address its concerns over ceasefire violations on the Line of Control and International Border, continued terrorism and inaction against the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attack.
Bilateral relations soured after five Indian soldiers were killed by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control last month.
India has also been urging Islamabad to take steps to stop terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil and to prosecute those responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Militants kill 12 in J&K ahead of Manmohan-Sharif talks - The Times of India
