17 soldiers killed in Uri terror attack

17 troopers were killed when a group of fidayeen (suicide) militants stormed a military base in north Kashmir’s Uri on Sunday.In retaliatory action, four militants, who barged into the camp near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri town, 102 km from here, around 5.30 am, were killed in the gun battle that raged for two-and-a-half hours, officials said.

Sources said among the 19 injured soldiers, at least nine are critical, and the death toll could rise. They said the injured soldiers have gunshot wounds or severe burn injuries. “The fidayeen militants breached the fence of the army installation and attacked the soldiers, mostly believed to have been sleeping in barracks and tents. 

They fired incendiary ammunition along with automatic fire that led to temporary shelters catching fire,” a source said. The Uri camp, which houses the army’s brigade headquarters, has a strength of around 12,000 to 13,000 troops. A defence



spokesperson said during the early hours of Sunday, a group of heavily armed terrorists targeted the rear administrative base of a unit at Uri. “The strategic base had a large strength of troops of units turning over after their tour of duty. They were stationed in tents/temporary shelters, which caught fire, and resulted in heavy casualties. We salute the sacrifice of 17 soldiers who were martyred in the operation,” he said.

The spokesperson said the slain militants were foreigners and had some articles with them that bore Pakistani markings. “Initial reports indicate that the terrorists belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed ‘tanzeem’. Four AK-47 rifles and four under barrel grenade launchers along with a large number of other war-like stores were recovered from them,” he said.

Immediately after the attack, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag rushed to Kashmir to review the situation.