A number of terrorists attacked a Border Security Force (BSF) camp and an Army camp on Sunday night in Baramulla in north Kashmir, about 50 km from Srinagar. During the gunfire which started around 10:30 PM, at least two terrorists and a BSF personnel were killed while one BSF jawan got injured. This ‘Fidayeen’ (suicide) attack was carried out within four days after the Indian Army launched surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control( LoC) in Pakistan.
The martyred jawan has been identified as Constable Nitin while the injured personnel is Constable Pulwinder. Both belong to the 40th battalion of the BSF.
According to the sources, the militants were heavily armed with grenades and AK-47 as the two hour of intense firing was followed by three to four explosions. It is also believed that, in the middle of the night, a few terrorists might have fled. A search operation is now on and the situation is “contained and under control.”
Army sources identified the location of the terror attack as the battalion headquarters of 46 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) camp in Janbazpora and also suspect that the militants might have entered India across the Jhelum river. Though it is still not clear if the terrorists had been able to breach the BSF camp’s perimeter security.
The 46 RR battalion is responsible for the security of the local military garrison, and counter-insurgency operations in Baramulla. The Uri brigade also falls under the 19 Infantry Division which has its headquarters in the same town, just across the river. Both these attacks were conducted within 102 kms from each other.
Just two weeks ago, four Pakistani terrorists had sneaked into an army base in Uri, and killed 19 soldiers. Post which India responded to the attack by conducting surgical strikes on Wednesday across the LoC in which seven terror launch pads of Pakistani terrorists were destroyed. Security forces have been on high alert in India since then.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were briefed about the security situation in Baramulla after the incident. They discussed the incident and necessary instructions have been given to the forces. The home minister also spoke to Director General of BSF K.K. Sharma in order to provide all possible treatment to the injured jawan.
The attack happened despite the intelligence inputs about possible terrorist attacks post surgical strike in PoK on September 29.
Steps are being taken to secure the border area as all internal and external roads leading to the military camp had been blocked by the security forces, and Army patrols on motorboats in the Jhelum were immediately started.
The RR battalion headquarters is in the vicinity of a BSF unit, right across the Jhelum river. The camp is surrounded by the Srinagar-Baramulla-Handwara highway from one side, while Gullar Park and a residential colony is on the other side of the camp.
