Guns boom in Sunjwan

Jammu: Two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO) were killed, and six soldiers injured in an attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists on an Army camp in Sunjwan area of Jammu on Saturday morning. The camp located on the Srinagar-Jammu-Pathankot highway is surrounded by dense population.

Two terrorists have also been killed so far, while two-three militants are still holed up, according to defence sources. “The operation is still on. Since terrorists are holed up inside the family quarters, we are moving very cautiously. The injured have been airlifted to military hospital in Satwari where they are being treated,” defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said.

The two slain soldiers are from Jammu. The injured include some women and children. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti visited the military hospital in Satwari to meet the injured. By sunset, the Army had lit up the facility with floodlights to flush out the terrorists. The Army said it has found a flag of ‘Mohammed Afzal Guru Brigade’ of Jaish from the slain terrorist.

The audacious attack began around 4.50am. Anand said the firefight began when sentries noticed suspicious movement early in the morning. “When challenged, it was replied back with fire. The firing took place at that place only and then terrorists made entry into the family quarters in vicinity of the Khad (Nullah a dry wetland). They entered few houses. Now the attack has been contained and operation is still in progress.”Officials said terrorists had stormed the station from rear.

Jammu and Kashmir has been on high alert for potential trouble given that February 9 was the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru while February 11 is the death anniversary of JKLF founder Maqbool Butt.

Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility of the attack.The attack triggered a flurry of activities as the Army rushed quick response teams and deployed commandos to neutralise the attackers.

It is learnt that Lance Naik Bahadur Singh, Major Abhijeet and Col Rohit Solanki, two women and a young girl, daughter of JCO Madan Lal Choudhary are injured in the attack. The Sunjuwan military station had been attacked once earlier on June 28, 2003 when two Lashkar-e-Toiba suicide attackers stormed the camp killing 12 soldiers and injuring seven others.

Earlier in the morning, Jammu and Kashmir Parliamentary Affairs Minister AR Veeri had said in the Assembly that two JCOs were killed and four others were injured. Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta said the attack has taken place because of the presence of Rohingyas and Bangladeshis in Jammu. He even named them as Madan Lal Choudhary and Mohammed Ashraf Mir.

His remarks were condemned by Kashmir centric National Conference and Congress who demanded an apology from the Speaker. NC’s Ali Mohammad Sagar said, “It is strange BJP which is in power in both the Centre and state is shouting over Jammu attack. It is your failure that such attacks are recurring and state is facing crisis.”

There was more drama in the House when former Speaker and NC MLA Mohammed Akbar Lone shouted pro-Pak slogans in the Assembly to counter BJP MLAs who were raising anti-Pak slogans.

Later talking to mediapersons outside the Assembly, Lone without any remorse defended his pro-Pak slogans in the lower house. “I am a Muslim first. My sentiments were hurt when they (BJP MLAs) were shouting “Pakistan Murdabad” slogans. I couldn’t control my emotions and raised Pakistan Zindabad slogans. What was wrong in it,” Lone told the reporters.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the chief of the Jammu and Kashmir police SP Vaid and took stock of the situation arising out of the militant attack. During the telephonic conversation, the Home Minister sought details from Vaid on the militant attack on the Army camp in Jammu, according to a tweet by the Home Minister’s Office. “The DGP has apprised him of the situation. The MHA is closely monitoring the situation,” the tweet said.

Former chief minister Farooq Abdullah said Pakistan should stop sending militants otherwise India can wage a war.