Sunjuwan camp attack: Army resumes operations after night-long halt
This morning, army resumed its operations after a night-long halt to flush out the remaining JeM terrorists from a military camp in Jammu's Sunjuwan. The gunmen had stormed the family quarters at the camp at 4:15am yesterday. At least two soldiers were killed and nine injured, including women and children. Three terrorists have been eliminated. Another one-two are suspected to be holed up.
Attack came amid high alert on Afzal Guru's death anniversary
Terrorists of the Pakistan-based JeM stormed the camp amid a high alert throughout the state on the fifth anniversary of Afzal Guru's hanging. Special forces and four tanks were brought in for the counter-operations. Forces took care to safeguard unarmed soldiers, women and children in the campus. Most of the 150 houses in the complex have been evacuated and the residents moved to safety.
Home minister, CM monitoring the situation
Army chief General Bipin Rawat reached Jammu a few hours later to take stock of the situation. Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to J&K DGP SP Vaid and the ministry is "closely monitoring the situation," he tweeted. "Deeply disturbed by the terrorist attack in Sunjwan," CM Mehbooba Mufti said. Later, she chaired a high-level meet to review the security situation.
Sunjuwan was the site of a deadly attack in 2003
This isn't the first attack on the Sunjuwan military camp. Seventeen years ago in 2003, it was the site of one of the deadliest attacks on an Indian defense installation. Two terrorists had cut through barbed wires on a June morning to enter the camp. They killed 12 soldiers and injured nine before being neutralized after a five-hour-long gunbattle.
Evacuation still on, bodies of two terrorists retrieved
The latest attack has exposed the flaws in security around defense establishments. The defense ministry has sanctioned Rs. 1,487cr for fortification of army bases around the country. Governor NN Vohra reiterated his advice about uncompromising audits of all such premises. Meanwhile, forces are continuing evacuation of Sunjuwan camp. Bodies of two of the three neutralized terrorists have been retrieved and the operation is ongoing.
