Twin militant attacks in Indian-held Kashmir kills 10 security men, two others

Suspected militants dressed in army fatigues Thursday killed Indian occupation troops and policemen in a police station and an Army cantonment in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian media has reported.

Over a dozen are injured and more casualties are feared, NDTV reported.

The police said four heavily armed terrorists first attacked a police station in Hiranagar of Kathua district in Jammu, killing four cops. Officials claimed two civilians were also killed.

They escaped and surfaced in an Army cantonment in the adjoining Samba district, where they have reportedly killed at least six Army personnel.

A gun battle is on and army choppers are hovering over the attack site.  The quick response force and police personnel later joined the Army in the attempt to flush out the “fidayeen” or suicide attackers.

There was reportedly much confusion and chaos at the cantonment, which houses the 16 Cavalry armoured corp unit, as the militants are dressed in Army uniform. They were not stopped at the gate and walked into an officers’ mess, where they attacked and killed unarmed Armymen.

The attackers are reportedly holed up in the mess.  

The audacious attack comes only a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh confirmed that he will meet Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the US on the sidelines of a United Nations session. The two leaders are expected to meet on Sunday.

Kashmir watchers say militants tend to step up attacks just before a round of talks between India and Pakistan.

The police said the militants drove up to the in Hiranagar police station in an auto rickshaw at about 6.45 this morning.

They shot the sentry at the gate, walked into the police station and shot dead three cops. They then escaped in a truck that they hijacked after killing the driver and drive along the national highway, where they eventually abandoned the truck and went to Samba in another vehicle.

Hiranagar in Kathua is about a kilometre from the border with Pakistan and a top cop said the militants could have infiltrated into India recently.

Indian Intelligence sources said all units in the region had been alerted that a fidayeen group had entered Jammu. This is the first fidayeen attack in the Jammu region of the state in over a decade.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Sep 26 2013. Filed under Latest News, South Asia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.