The Hindu : 12 jawans killed as 'fidayeen' storm Army camp

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 29, 2003

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12 jawans killed as 'fidayeen' storm Army camp

By Our Staff Reporter

Armymen on guard outside their camp in Sanjuwan, on the outskirts of Jammu, after the militant attack on Saturday. — AP

Sanjuwan (Jammu) June 28. In a pre-dawn suicide attack on Saturday, two terrorists pierced the heavily-guarded Sanjuwan Army camp on the outskirts of Jammu city and killed 12 Army personnel.

Seven persons, including a Lieutenant, were injured.

Hurling grenades and firing from automatic weapons, the two fidayeen (suicide-squad members) dressed in Army fatigues battled the Armymen for more than seven hours before being killed by a quick reaction team.

Local residents told The Hindu that they heard a shot around 3.45 a.m. from the Army camp in the Pir Bagh colony, home to some 850 members of the 36th Infantry Brigade.

However, they did not give it much thought as the jawans regularly practised shooting at that time.

Half-an-hour later, the terrorists entered the living quarters and opened fire on the sleeping soldiers.

The firing lasted about 20 minutes during which jawans tried to take cover.

Soon, members of the quick reaction team as well as other soldiers rushed to the spot and a pitched-battle ensued.

The terrorists then ran to the top of the building and continued firing from behind a water tank. They also allegedly fired rocket-launchers and the encounter continued till 10 a.m.

Talking to presspersons later, the Sanjuwan area commander, J.S. Thind, said: "We have killed the two terrorists but the operations have not stopped as the militants could have planted explosives in the area which could then be triggered by remote control".

According to Brig. Thind, six quick reaction teams were engaged in the operation.

A massive search was continuing in the surrounding forests. The entire area had been cordoned off. The fact that armed militants had sneaked into the heavily-guarded camp surrounded by barbed-wire fencing was causing concern.

Security had been stepped up after terrorists attacked a camp housing the families of Army personnel at Kaluchak, 28 km from here, on May 14, 2002, killing 32 persons.

In another attack in July last year, 27 persons were killed by terrorists at Rajiv Nagar, 1 km from the Sanjuwan camp.

Security sources said that there were some indications of a suicide attack two days ago to coincide with the visit of the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, to the area following radio intercepts and security was beefed up.

Local residents said they had seen five armed men in the area last night but police refused to confirm this account. Although Defence sources blamed the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant outfit for the attack, a report said that a lesser-known militant outfit Al-Nasreen had claimed responsibility.

The Minister of State for Defence, Chaman Lal Gupta, and the 16 Corps Commander, T.P.S. Brar, visited the Army camp while the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to the families of the slain jawans.

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