Captain, 2 soldiers killed in terror attack on Army Base at Kupwara

2 terrorists gunned down, one escapes

Protestors storm camp, demand
terrorists’ bodies, one killed in firing, Army issues
alert of another possible attack

Shabir Ahmad

SRINAGAR: Three Armymen, including two soldiers and a Captain were killed while seven were injured in a terrorist attack on an Army Rare Base here in the frontier district of Kupwara in north Kashmir on Thursday morning.
At around 4 am, three heavily-armed terrorists, dressed in black Pathani suit and combat jackets, entered an army camp of the artillery unit of the army garrison at Panzgam in Kupwara district from the rear side and started indiscriminate firing, army officials said.
The terrorists cut through the two-layered barbed wire of the firing range at the Panzgam army camp in Kupwara district, some 120 km north of Srinagar.
The terrorists managed to cross the second security layer of the camp spread over an area of 400 x 800 metres, the officials said.
Firing indiscriminately, the terrorists advanced towards the officers' complex which houses about 1,000 army personnel.
Soldiers took on the attackers and forced them back towards one of the gates of the camp, the officials said.
In the gunfight, Captain Ayush Yadav, Subedar Bhoop Singh Gujjar and Naik B. Venkata Ramanna were killed.
Five other soldiers were injured and they were airlifted to Army's 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar.
The militants started fleeing as the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Army swung into action, the officials said.
Two militants were gunned down while a third one managed to escape under the cover of darkness, the officials said.
"The entire operation lasted 35 minutes," said Col. Saurabh in Kupwara. The troops recovered three AK rifles, he said, adding search operations are underway to track the third terrorist.
"We have recovered three AK rifles, nine magazines, 156 AK rounds, one Chinese pistol, a pistol magazine, three UBGL grenades, three hand grenades, three matrix sheets, two GPS devices, a smartphone and two radio sets from the slain terrorists," another official said.
They had no backpacks with them, said army officials, indicating that it was not a case of fresh infiltration, and the terrorists had been on the Indian side for a while.
The official, on the condition of anonymity, said the attackers seemed to be foreigners but their identity was being ascertained.
As soon as the encounter ended, local residents held protest demonstrations, demanding that the bodies of slain militants be handed over to them for performing their last rites, a police official said.
The protestors, including women and elderly, continued demonstration but the Army personnel did not relent to their demand, the official said.
In the clash between stone-pelting mobs and security forces, one Mohammad Yousuf Bhat sustained a bullet injury in his chest and was rushed to Kupwara hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
Locals alleged that he was killed in firing by security forces.
The slain officer and soldiers belong to two different units of Army.
The slain officer, identified as Captain Ayush Yadav, 25, of Artillery had been in service for three years. Capt Yadav hailed from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
The other two slain were identified as 45-year-old Junior Commissioned Officer Bhoop Singh Gujjar Dusaa of Infantry who had been service for 26 years, and Naik Venkat Ramana, 38, also from Artillery who had been in service for 18 years.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley condoled the deaths.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the three martyred soldiers. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured. The indomitable courage of our forces in safeguarding the country is exemplary. Salute to martyrs for their supreme sacrifice," Jaitley tweeted.
The attack at 115 Rare Base of Army is the first such incident this year. The Base is near Moqam village of Panzgam in Chowkibal, 17 km from Kupwara town.
Pangzam, also known as Chowkibal garrison, is around 100 km from the Army camp in Uri.
The Base was meant for securing convoy routes, supplies in jurisdiction of two Mountain Brigades, Trehgam and Farkeeyan areas of Kupwara.

Following the attack northern Command of Army Headquarters alerted all the Army camps including main area camps at Kupwara, Machil, Tangmarg, Keran, Uri, Baramulla, Rampur, Poonch and Rajouri of a possible attack.