Army camp in Jammu attacked, soldier killed

The critically injured Army jawan was rushed to a nearby medical facility where he succumbed, the officials said.

They said that the Army base came under the sneak attack at around 11 am. The fire was returned by the Army, triggering a brief exchange of fire, they added.

"We are told that it was during the exchage of fire that an Army jawan sustained bullet wounds," said a police officer who is part of a team which launched investigation soon after the incident.

The Army sources said that the militants targetted a santry post, manned by the 36 Infantry Brigade, at the military station. They added that the soldiers retaliated to the fire and quickly launched a search operation in the area. The J&K police and the CRPF joined the operation later. Camera -fitted drones are being used to track down the militants, a report from Jammu said adding that a vast area close to the militants station has been sealed to conduct searches.

The Sunjwan military station has come under terror attacks earlier also. In February 2018, the members of proscribed Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) had stormed the 36 Brigade headquarters of the Army's Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) at Sunjwan, leaving five soldiers and the father of one of them dead and eleven persons including a major rak officer injured. All the three attackers were also killed in the gunfight that had ensued between the two sides.

The Army had said that the "heavily equipped and highly motivated terrorists” were wearing combat fatigues and that during the operation IAF Para commandos airlifted from garrison town of Udhampur and Sarsawa in Haryana along with Army’s special forces took part in the operation “flush out” whereas Army helicopters and drones and aerial surveillance by the IAF were used to neutralise the holed-up militants.