Sunjwan Army camp attack: Death toll rises to 6, two more terrorists killed

Security forces killed two more terrorists holed up in the Sunjwan Army camp here, while the toll in the attack by suspected JeT militants rose to six with the death of three more Army men and a civilian, a senior police official said today.

The forces had killed two terrorists yesterday after a group of heavily armed men attacked the camp, leaving two Army personnel, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) dead, the police had said.

"Two more terrorists have been killed, bringing the total number to four," the senior police officer said.

The top police official said three more Army men and a civilian, who was the father of an Army personnel, were killed, taking the toll to six.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists had struck the sprawling camp of the 36 brigade of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry early yesterday.

The operation was carrying on, an army officer said.

"The operation is on and the evacuation (of people from the family quarters) is in progress," Jammu-based Army PRO Lt Col Devender Anand told PTI.

He said a number of families were still in the camp and the Army's aim was to ensure their safety.

"There has been no firing since last night," the officer said.

The latest attack on the camp took place nearly 15 months after the Jammu region was hit by a similar attack.

On November 29, 2016, terrorists had stormed the Army's Nagrota camp on the outskirts of the city, killing seven Army personnel, including two officers.

Three terrorists were gunned down in the operation.

The terrorists had struck before dawn yesterday and managed to sneak into the camp from the rear end of the base after a brief exchange of fire with the sentry guarding the periphery.

"The terrorists entered the family accommodation complex after which quick response teams cordoned off the area and isolated the terrorists, who are holed up in a few houses (inside the camp)," an official said.

While there was no action around the main entrance and vehicles were moving along the Jammu-Lakhanpur bypass in front of the camp, Army personnel in bullet-proof vehicles were engaged in the operation to rescue people from the family quarters in the rear side of the base.

Contingents of CRPF and police were posted outside the boundary wall and were keeping curious onlookers at bay to prevent civilian casualties.

A high alert has been sounded in Jammu and security beefed up in and around the city.

Intelligence inputs had warned of an attack on an Army or security establishment by Jaish-e-Mohammed in view of the death anniversary of Afzal Guru, who was hanged on February 9, 2013, for the 2001 attack on Parliament House.