A soldier stands guard during a gun battle with armed militants at Nagrota Army base, near Jammu on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: AFP

In a separate incident, two militants were killed in Ramgarh Sector

Seven jawans were killed on Tuesday in an attack by militants on an Army camp in Nagrota, near Jammu.

Three militants were also killed in the gun battle that followed the attack, the Indian Army said, adding that there was a hostage-like situation at the Nagrota Army camp, but all the 12 soldiers, two ladies and two children who were held captive were successfully rescued.

Earlier in the day, local officials told The Hindu that militants and the security forces were engaged in a gun battle on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway near Nagrota, around 20 km from Jammu city.

They said the militants appeared in the area between 5.30 a.m. and 6 a.m. and attacked the Army camp.

All schools in Nagrota have been closed for the day, said an official.

In a separate incident, three militants were killed in Ramgarh Sector in Jammu's Samba district. The BSF spotted suspicious movement of militants using thermal imagers near the Chamliyal Border Outpost in the intervening night of November 28 and 29. The militants were holed up in a tubewell pump house in the fields, close to the International Border (IB).

The BSF confirmed that the gunfight is over and the area is being sanitised. Details of the operation, including the seizures, would be released once the operation is over, it said.

Four security personnel, including a BSF jawan, were injured in the encounter. Preliminary reports suggest that were was an explosion as the bodies of the three slain militants were being inspected. </s> Soldiers take position outside the Army installation at Nagrota, 20 km from Jammu, on Tuesday.

Seven Army personnel, including two officers, were killed when militants attacked their unit near Jammu on Tuesday.

The militants launched a suicide attack on the White Knight Corps of Northern Command’s strategic 16 Corps — one of the biggest Army formations meant for Jammu, the Pir Panjal and the Chenab valleys — located at Nagrota, around 20 km from Jammu city.

Around 5.30 a.m., the militants sneaked into the Army installation. “The terrorists were heavily armed and disguised in police uniform. They targeted an Army unit just 3 km from the Corps headquarters in Nagrota and forced their way into the Officers Mess by throwing grenades and firing at the sentries,” said a spokesman of the Northern Command.

While four personnel, including an officer, were killed in the first round of firing, three more were killed during a rescue operation.

“The terrorists entered two buildings, occupied by officers and families. This led to a hostage-like situation. All, including 12 soldiers, two children and two women, were rescued. However, one officer and two jawans were killed in the operation,” said the spokesman.

The bodies of three militants have been recovered and the sanitisation operation was on, he added.

In another attack, a BSF patrol was targeted by militants in Ramgarh sector, near the International Border in Samba district, 55 km from the site of the first attack.

“Three militants were killed in the gunfight,” said the official. Four BSF personnel were injured. </s> Militants in police uniform today attacked an army artillery unit in Nagrota on the outskirts of the city, killing three Army personnel, including an officer, and leaving several others injured.



 There were unconfirmed reports that four militants were killed in the ensuing gunfight.



 A senior Army officer said that heavily-armed militants in police uniform stormed the 166 artillery unit, opening indiscriminate fire.



 An army officer and two other personnel were killed while several others were injured in the attack, the senior officer said.



 A fierce gunbattle is underway at the site, a senior police officer said. Nagrota is the headquarters of the Army's 16 corps.



 In view of the attack, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has been closed for traffic in the area.The district administration has closed all schools in Nagorta tehsil as a precautionary measure.



 "We have ordered closure of all schools and education institutions in Nagrota tehsil in view of the terror attack", Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Simrandeep Singh said. An alert has been sounded in Jammu city. </s> Indian soldiers take position outside an army camp at Nagrota, on the outskirts of Jammu, India, on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016. Police said militants fired indiscriminately and tried to enter the camp, triggering a fierce gun battle.

SRINAGAR, India — Rebels fighting against Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir stormed a crucial Indian military base Tuesday, triggering a fierce gunbattle that left at least three army soldiers and four militants dead, officials said.

At the same time in another part of Kashmir, Indian border forces came across three suspected militants who had allegedly crossed the border from Pakistan into India, touching off another exchange of fire in which all three were killed, paramilitary officials said.

The renewed violence followed a five-day lull in fighting between Indian and Pakistani troops, who have been exchanging heavy mortar and artillery fire for months across the de facto border that divides Kashmir between the two nations. India has accused Pakistan of helping anti-India rebels stage deadly attacks on its military compounds — an allegation Pakistan denies.

Early Tuesday, at least four militants disguised in police uniforms opened fire on the military camp in Nagrota, a town on the main highway connecting Kashmir's two main cities of Srinagar and Jammu, according to senior police officer K. Rajendra.

The militants then stormed the base and made their way to an area of the compound storing artillery, lobbing grenades and drawing troops into exchanging fire, said another police officer, S.P. Vaid. Three Indian soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the fighting, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because of department policy. The officer said at least three other soldiers were wounded.

He said four militants were killed in the daylong battle.

Army officials described the rebels as "fidayeen," a term for militants ready to sacrifice their lives for a cause. They said soldiers were searching the massive camp for any other attackers, additional military casualties or unexploded explosives.

No other details were immediately available. Authorities closed the Srinagar-Jammu highway and ordered nearby schools to close as the fighting raged in Nagrota.

It was the most audacious attack on an Indian military base since a Sept. 18 assault at an army base in the town of Uri. That attack left 19 Indian army soldiers and four suspected militants dead, and escalated tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.

India accused Pakistan of helping those militants with weapons, training and logistics, and said it sent troops across the border to launch "surgical strikes" against militants in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir.

Since then, soldiers from both sides have pounded each other's military positions along the U.N.-drawn cease-fire line, now referred to as the Line of Control. At least 73 people, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed on both sides.

Meanwhile, relations at the government level have worsened, with the two nations expelling diplomats from their capitals as each side accuses the other of starting the fight.

India's Border Security Force said its soldiers on Tuesday gunned down three suspected militants who had infiltrated from Pakistan and were hiding behind bushes in the border district of Samba.

While clearing the militants' bodies, one of them — allegedly booby-trapped — exploded and injured four Indian soldiers and a police officer, according to a border officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief journalists.

India and Pakistan each administer a portion of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. They have fought two wars over those claims since 1947.

Meanwhile, rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for the Muslim-majority region to either gain independence or merge with Pakistan. At least 70,000 people have been killed in that uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown. </s> A soldier stands guard during a gun battle with armed militants at Nagrota Army base, near Jammu on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: AFP

In a separate incident, two militants were killed in Ramgarh Sector

Seven soldiers, including two officers, and six militants were killed in twin pre-dawn attacks launched by fresh infiltrators near Jammu on Tuesday, coinciding with the takeover of General Qamar Javed Bajwa as new Pakistan Army chief across the border.

A group of militants launched a fidayeen (suicide) attack on the White Knight Corps of northern command’s strategic 16 Corps — one of the biggest Army formations meant for Jammu, the Pir Panjal and the Chenab valleys — located at Nagrota, around 20 km from Jammu city.

Around 5.30 a.m., just before the crack of dawn, the fidayeen took advantage of the darkness to sneak in and spread themselves into the concrete structures inside the Army installation.

“The terrorists were heavily armed and disguised in police uniform. They targeted an Army unit just 3 km from the Corps headquarters in Nagrota and forced their way into the Officers Mess by throwing grenades and firing at the sentries,” said a spokesman of the Northern Command.

While four soldiers, including an officer, were killed in the first round of firing, three more were killed during a rescue operation.

“The terrorists entered two buildings, occupied by officers and families. This led to a hostage-like situation. All, including 12 soldiers, two children and two women, were rescued. However, one officer and two jawans were killed in the operation,” said the spokesman.

The bodies of three terrorists have been recovered so far. The Army, according to the official, is slowly sanitising the area to avoid any booby traps. A chopper was pressed into service to locate the positions of the militants. “The operation is in progress,” he said.

In another attack, a Border Security Force patrol came under attack from a group of militants in Ramgarh sector, near the International Border in Samba district, 55 km from the first attack.

A BSF official said the militants were hiding near a tubewell, close to a BSF border outpost. “Three militants were killed in the gunfight,” said the official. Four BSF personnel, including DIG B.S. Kasana, were injured.

Two LeT groups involved in Jammu attack

Two groups of the Lashkar-e-Taiba were involved in the twin attacks in Jammu on Tuesday.

Army sources said preliminary investigation suggested that the two groups crossed into Jammu only on Monday night to carry out these attacks.

Speaking to Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, Northern Army Commander, Governor N.N. Vohra expressed serious concern over repeated terrorist attacks on the security forces establishment.

“Pakistan is continuing with the attempts to exacerbate the situation while India was seeking to restore peace and normalcy,” said Mr. Vohra, while urging all the commanders to enhance surveillance on every front.

Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh termed the attacks a “desperate bid to push the State into chaos.” </s> A soldier stands guard during a gun battle with armed militants at Nagrota Army base, near Jammu on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: AFP

In a separate incident, two militants were killed in Ramgarh Sector

Three jawans were killed and three injured in an attack by miltants early on Tuesday morning on an Army camp in Nagrota near Jammu.

One of the holed up militants is believed to be killed. Sources say two to three militants are still at large and have taken positions and are holed up inside concrete structures.

Local officials told The Hindu that militants and the security forces were engaged in gun battle on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway near Nagrota, around 20 km from Jammu city.

They said the militants appeared in the area between 5.30 a.m. and 6 a.m. and attacked the Army camp.

All schools in Nagrota have been closed for the day, said an official.

In a separate incident, three militants were killed in Ramgarh Sector in Jammu's Samba district. The BSF spotted suspicious movement of militants using thermal imagers near the Chamliyal Border Outpost in the intervening night of November 28 and 29. The militants were holed up in a tubewell pump house in the fields, close to the International Border (IB).

The BSF confirmed that the gunfight is over and the area is being sanitised. Details of the operation, including the seizures, would be released once the operation is over, it said.

Four security personnel, including a BSF jawan, were injured in the encounter. Preliminary reports suggest that were was an explosion as the bodies of the three slain militants were being inspected. </s> This story is from November 29, 2016

Soldiers outside Army camp at Nagrota. (AP photo)

JAMMU: Terrorists in police uniform on Tuesday attacked an Army artillery unit in Nagrota on the outskirts of the city, killing three Army personnel, including an officer, and leaving several others injured.A senior Army officer said that heavily-armed terrorists in police uniform stormed the 166 artillery unit, opening indiscriminate fire.An Army officer and two other personnel were killed while several others were injured in the attack, the senior officer said.A fierce gunbattle is underway at the site, a senior police officer said.Nagrota is the headquarters of the Army's 16 corps.In view of the attack, the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway has been closed for traffic in the area.The district administration has closed all schools in Nagorta tehsil as a precautionary measure."We have ordered closure of all schools and education institutions in Nagrota tehsil in view of the terror attack", Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, Simrandeep Singh said.An alert has been sounded in Jammu city. </s> SRINAGAR, India — Police say rebels fighting against Indian rule in the volatile Himalayan region of Kashmir have launched an attack on an Indian army base, triggering a fierce gunbattle.

Police said Tuesday that at least two militants fired indiscriminately and tried to enter the camp in Nagrota town on a major highway.

Initial reports said at least two Indian soldiers were wounded in the attack. There were no other details immediately available.

India and Pakistan each administer a portion of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

Rebel groups have been fighting since 1989 for either independence or a merger with Pakistan. Since then, more than 68,000 people have been killed in the armed uprising and ensuing Indian military crackdown. </s> Militants killed 17 soldiers during a pre-dawn ambush on an army base in Indian-administered Kashmir Sunday, in a major attack in the Himalayan region already reeling from weeks of deadly unrest.

The heavily armed militants snuck across the defacto border with Pakistan before launching the raid on the infantry base housing hundreds of soldiers in Uri, west of the region’s main city of Srinagar, officials said.

Four militants were killed in the attack that saw tents and other temporary shelters accommodating the soldiers catch fire, the army said in a statement.

The encounter resulted in “heavy casualties. We salute the sacrifice of 17 soldiers who were martyred in the operation,” the army said in the statement.

“In the counter action, four terrorists have been eliminated and combing operations are in progress,” the statement said.

Large numbers of soldiers are stationed at Uri after finishing their tour of duty in the volatile region, where several rebel groups have been fighting troops for decades for independence of the region or its merger with Pakistan.

Residents of nearby Uri town saw smoke billowing from the base after dawn and heard continuous rounds of heavy gunfire, while army helicopters circled the base overhead.

The region has been in the grip of deadly unrest for more than two months, with protesting residents clashing almost daily with security forces, in the worst violence since 2010.

At least 87 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the protests against Indian rule, sparked by the killing of a popular rebel leader in a gun battle with soldiers on July 8.

Kashmir has been divided between India and its arch rival Pakistan since the two gained independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full.

Sunday’s raid comes after militants launched an audacious attack on an Indian airforce base that left seven soldiers dead in January.

India blamed that attack in the northern state of Punjab on a Pakistani-based militant group and it came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a landmark visit to Pakistan, raising hopes of improved ties.

On Sunday, the militants first attacked a frontline base close to the border known as the Line of Control or LoC before moving onto the headquarters, army spokesman Colonel S. D. Goswami said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in a series of tweets that he had spoken to the region’s military and political leaders about the attack and he cancelled planned trips to Russia and the United States.

Several rebel groups have for decades fought Indian soldiers — currently numbering around 500,000 — deployed in Kashmir. Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting.
Militants launch an attack on an Indian Army base in the town of Nagrota. At least 7 soldiers and 3 insurgents die in the attack.