SRINAGAR: A junior commissioned officer (JCO) and three riflemen have been killed and two different jawans have been injured in a pre-dawn suicide assault by militants at an Indian Army camp at Pargal in Jammu and Kashmir ‘s Rajouri district on Thursday.

The officers mentioned that two attackers geared up with assault rifles and hand grenades have been additionally killed within the return hearth by the troopers and thereby a repeat of the Uri-like terror assault was foiled.

The Army, in an announcement, mentioned, “In the early morning hours, alert sentries of the Army post at Pargal in Rajouri detected suspicious persons approaching their post, taking advantage of the inclement weather and dense foliage. The sentries challenged the two terrorists who lobbed grenades while attempting to gain entry inside the post. However, alert troops cordoned off the area and engaged them in a fire fight, thereby pinning them”.

“Two terrorists were killed while six soldiers, including an officer of Major’s rank and a JCO, sustained injuries in the clash,” mentioned a defence officers in Jammu.

The Nagrota (Jammu)-based White Knight (16) Corps of the Army confirmed that 4 of the injured solders — Subedar Rajendra Prasad, Rifleman Manoj Kumar, Rifleman Lakshmanan D and Nishant Malik — succumbed to their accidents “making the supreme sacrifice while neutralising two terrorists on a suicide attack.”

In a tweet, it added, “We condole their loss and pray for strength for their family members.”

The Army additional mentioned that the operation at Pargal led to, other than the elimination of two suicide attackers, massive recoveries together with two AK-47 rifles with 9 magazines and 300 rounds of ammunition, 5 grenades, and different “administrative stores”.

A defence spokesman in Jammu mentioned that the White Knight Corps Commander Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh continuously monitored the scenario on the bottom all through the operation. He added that the world has been sanitised to make sure no different militants are current in and round Pargal.

Mukesh Singh, extra director common of police (ADGP), Jammu, mentioned {that a} group of armed males tried to cross the fence of the Army camp at Pargal, lower than 6 kms from the Darhal police station, and shortly an alternate of fireside passed off. He added that reinforcements from the Army and likewise the boys of the J&Okay police have been instantly rushed to the world to affix the operation.

According to a report the conflict lasted for 3 to 4 hours throughout which the militants additionally used armour-piercing metal bullets. The police officers mentioned that they’re investigating the character of the bullets utilized by the attackers.

The police sources mentioned that within the over three-decade-old militancy in J&Okay, the armour-piercing metal bullets have been used, up to now, solely by proscribed Jaish-e-Muhammad ‘fidayeen’ in lots of encounters, together with the one which passed off within the Lethpora space of Pulwama on December 31, 2017.

The suicide assault passed off amid the preparations for the seventy fifth Independence Day celebrations within the nation and a day after the safety forces had killed proscribed Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT)’s “most-wanted” commander Lateef Rather alias Osama and two different militants in a gun combat in Badgam, Kashmir valley. 

J&Okay lieutenant-governor Manoj Sinha, whereas condemning the suicide assault on the Pargal Army camp, mentioned that the phobia plans of militants and their mentors will likely be handled in a befitting method.

He tweeted, “Strongly condemn despicable terrorist attack in Rajouri; tributes to brave soldiers who made supreme sacrifice. Heartfelt condolences to the families of the Bravehearts martyred in the attack. We shall deal with evil designs of terrorists and their backers in a befitting manner.”

Former chief minister and Opposition National Conference chief Omar Abdullah additionally took to the microblogging web site to sentence the assault. He mentioned, “Very sorry to hear about the death in the line of duty of three soldiers following a militant attack in Rajouri. While condemning the attack I send my condolences to the families & my prayers for the swift recovery of those officers & jawans injured in the attack #Rajouri.”

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