SRINAGAR: Gunmen hurling grenades killed 17 soldiers in a raid on an army base in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) on Sunday, with India blaming Pakistan-based militants for the worst such attack in the disputed region for over a decade.
The militants broke into the base near the de facto border with Pakistan before dawn and lobbed grenades at tents and barracks housing soldiers, before opening fire with automatic weapons, the army said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish those behind the “cowardly” and “despicable” hours-long attack near the town of Uri that also left four militants dead and scores of soldiers injured.
“We strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Uri. I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished,” Modi said in a series of tweets.
No one has so far claimed responsibility, but Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he was disappointed with “Pakistan’s continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups”.
“Pakistan is a terrorist state and it should be identified and isolated as such,” Singh said on Twitter, adding that the militants “were highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped”.
Singh cancelled his upcoming trips to Russia and the United States and said that he had apprised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the attack.
The raid is likely to further sour ties between the nuclear-armed neighbours given the high death toll and heightened tensions in the Indian-administered region following weeks of deadly clashes between residents and security forces.
India regularly accuses its arch-rival Pakistan of arming and sending rebels across the heavily militarised border. Islamabad denies the claims.
Sunday’s attack was one of the bloodiest on soldiers since an armed rebellion against Indian rule erupted in 1989. Militants killed 30 soldiers and their families in a suicide attack in Kaluchak in the Himalayan region in 2002.
Speaking to media after the attack, Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said that he has spoken to his Pakistani counterpart regarding the incident as weapons recovered from the slain terrorists had Pakistan marking.
“Foreign terrorists were behind the attack. Our initial reports indicate the role of Jaish-e-Muhammad. Four AK 47, 4 Under Barrel Grenade Launchers and other war like stores were recovered from the four terrorists who were killed. All the weapons had Pakistan marking,” said Singh.
Singh also said that the Indian Army is ready for a befitting response. “I assure you that Indian army is prepared for any evil design by the adversary and will give a befitting response,” said Singh.
Most of the soldiers died on Sunday after their tents and other housing caught fire during the raid on the brigade headquarters near the border known as the Line of Control (LoC), said Singh.
Washington condemned the attack, adding it was committed to the “strong partnership with the Indian government to combat terrorism”, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
At least 87 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the protests against Indian rule, sparked by the killing of a popular rebel leader in a gunbattle with soldiers on July 8.
Thousands of angry demonstrators defied a curfew on Saturday in Kashmir to attend the funeral of a schoolboy, whose body was found riddled with pellets, sparking fresh clashes.
On Sunday, residents of Uri town saw smoke billowing from the nearby base and heard continuous rounds of heavy gunfire that lasted several hours, while army helicopters circled overhead.
Twenty-eight injured soldiers were airlifted to a military hospital in the region’s main city of Srinagar, four of them in critical condition, an Indian army officer said.
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