Nagrota Attack: 7 Soldiers Killed, 3 Terrorists Neutralised, Hostages Freed

Jammu: Two officers and five jawans have been killed after suicide bombers carrying guns and grenades stormed an Army unit at Nagrota near Jammu, a Defence spokesperson said on Tuesday evening.

The Army also said the hostage-like situation at the camp was over and that 12 soldiers, two women and two children have been freed. An officer and two jawans were killed in the rescue attempt.

"The terrorists entered two buildings which were occupied by Officers, families and men. This led to a hostage-like situation. The situation was very quickly contained," a Defence statement said.

Bodies of three terrorists have been recovered but the total number who entered the camp was not known.

"Operations are in progress to sanitise the complete area. Combing operations will continue on Wednesday morning," Defence PRO Manish Mehta said.

The attacks at the army base and a BSF camp - both on the outskirts of Jammu city - were the latest in a series of militant violence that has escalated after the September 29 surgical strikes at terror launch pads by the Indian Army in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

An unknown number of terrorists barged into the military camp at Nagrota town, near the headquarters of the Indian Army's 16 Corps -- a military formation that acts as a nerve centre to fight militancy and defend the borders in Jammu region.

The heavily armed terrorists came dressed in police uniforms and struck at dawn, the Defence release said. However, no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the terror attack.

A high alert has been sounded across the state, including on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. Security has also been stepped up in Katra town.

In New Delhi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been briefed on the Nagrota terror attack. “Statistics have shown that the attack is on military installations. Civilians are not being targeted. No civilian has been targeted as they seek local support," Parrikar said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has condemned the terror attack on army formation at Nagrota. In a statement issued in Srinagar on Tuesday, Mehbooba Mufti said the state has suffered heavily due to the unending cycle of violence and appealed for an end to it. The chief minister has expressed sympathies with the families of slain soldiers and prayed for speedy recovery of the injured.