Kupwara army camp attack: Civilian killed as army opens fire on stone pelters | Highlights

A group of suspected militants attacked an army camp in Chowkibal’s Panzgam area in Kupwara district of Kashmir on Thursday. Firing is still on.

The attack has claimed the lives of three soldiers while two militants have been killed by the forces.

Live updates:

• Civilian killed as army opens fire in Kupwara, three injured. The protestors were demanding the bodies of the militants for burial.

• Finance minister Arun Jaitley condoles the attack and says: “My thoughts and prayers are with families of three martyred soldiers. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured soldiers.”

• The search operation is over and it appears that, contrary to reports, no other militants are inside the army camp.

• Army spokesperson Col. Rajesh Kalia says the militants used guns and grenades to target soldiers northwest of Srinagar, the Associated Press reports.

• The militants are believed to have crossed over from Pakistan and the army has cordoned off the entire area, including a nearby forest, as bodies of the two militants have been retrieved.

• The attack took place at 4am on Thursday

• The army officer killed in the attack has been identified as Captain Ayush, PTI quotes official sources as saying.

• Army spokesperson confirms three soldiers, including an officer, have been killed in the Kupwara attack.

“Terrorist attack on army garrison in Panzgam . Two terrorists have been killed. Three soldiers, including an officer, have been martyred. Search ops are in progress.”

• Intermittent gunshot sounds can be heard from the army camp.

• A combing operation is on at the encounter site. The battalion camp under attack is incharge of road-opening duties on the crucial roads in this area.

• Five army jawans who were injured in the attack have been airlifted to army’s 92 base hospital in Srinagar for treatment.

• The attack is suspected to be carried out by terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad. However, there was no independent confirmation of the incident and no rebel group has issued any statement so far.

In November last year, seven soldiers were killed when militants dressed as policemen stormed a military camp in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nagrota. The brazen attack was the second in as many months since the siege of another army base at Uri left 19 Indian soldiers dead, spiking tensions between India and Pakistan.

Militants had carried out another audacious strike on the Pathankot air force base in the border state of Punjab on January 2, 2016. The attack left seven security personnel dead and it took the forces three days to secure the airbase.

India blames Pakistan-based militants of targeting security personnel and civilians in the state, a charge Islamabad denies.

(With inputs from agencies)