In a daring attack, heavily armed terrorists in combat fatigues stormed a police station and an Army formation in the Jammu region on Thursday, killing four policemen, four Army personnel and two civilians.





The terrorists, three in all, were subsequently killed in an encounter with security forces at the Army camp in Samba, Jammu. The attack came barely 72 hours before a scheduled meeting between Indian and Pakistani prime ministers in New York.



Inspector-General of Police, Jammu, Rajesh Kumar told reporters that the three fidayeen (suicide attackers) arrived at Hiranagar police station in Kathua district in an autorickshaw around 6:45 am. They barged into the premises after killing a sentry who was standing guard at the main gate. The assailants fired indiscriminately and lobbed hand grenades, killing three more policemen instantaneously, he added.



Sources told Deccan Herald that the terrorists went on to hijack a truck after killing the cleaner and a civilian on the Pathankot-Jammu national highway. They then drove towards a 16 Cavalry (Carnatic Warriors) formation in Samba, 15 km from the site of the first attack.



The fidayeen attacked officers’ mess of the unit, killing second-in-command Lieutenant Colonel Bikram Jeet Singh and injuring commanding officer of the battalion, Colonel Avin Uthaiya. Three others, sepoys Kiran Kumar Reddy, M S Rao and Daya Singh, were also killed.



All 10 people killed in the attacks have been identified.



The six people killed in the attack on the police station were: ASI Rattan Singh, selection grade constable Kuldeep Singh, constable Shiv Kumar, special police officer Mukesh Kumar and civilians Suresh Kumar and Firdous Ahmed.



Hiranagar and Samba are located 5 to 10 km from the international border between India and Pakistan.



Eyewitnesses told Deccan Herald over phone that traffic on the highway was suspended and a large area was cordoned off.



They said Cheetak choppers were pressed into service to neutralise the fidayeen.

Reinforcements from the 2-Sikh and 17-Assam battalions, CRPF and the Jammu and Kashmir Police were also called in to enforce a three-tier cordon around the Army camp to prevent the attackers from fleeing.



Terrorists teenagers



After a fierce exchange of fire, all three terrorists were killed. Their identity could not be ascertained. The sources said they were teenagers and spoke chaste Urdu.

A lesser-known militant organisation, Al-Shohada Brigade, has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The police suspect it to be a front organisation for the indigenous Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.



Thursday’s attack was the first of its kind in the Jammu region after more than a decade.



In May 2002, terrorists had attacked the Kaluchak Army camp in Samba district. Thirty-one people were killed.



In July 2003, Brigadier Ram Goyal and seven soldiers were killed in a fidayeen attack on the Akhnoor Army camp.



Erstwhile northern Army commander Lieutenant General Hari Prasad and some top officers were also injured.

