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At least two terrorists and a Border Security Force personnel were killed, while another BSF jawan was injured when terrorists attacked two adjoining camps of Army and the paramilitary force at Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir.
The heavily-armed terrorists attacked the two camps belonging to Rashtriya Rifles and BSF late on Sunday night, leading to a fierce gun-battle with the security forces.
Following the firefight, two terrorists were killed by the forces while one BSF personnel, who was hit by bullets, succumbed to his injuries later, a Home Ministry spokesperson said in New Delhi.
The martyred jawan has been identified as Constable Nitin while the injured personnel is Constable Pulwinder. Both belong to the 40th battalion of the BSF, officials said.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval discussed the incident and necessary instructions have been given to the forces.
Singh also spoke to Director General of BSF K K Sharma and asked him to provide all possible treatment to the injured jawan.
This was the first major attack on security forces by terrorists after the Indian Army launched surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan occupied Kashmir last week.
The attack comes despite intelligence inputs about possible terrorist attacks on security installations in Jammu and Kashmir following the operations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on September 29. The strike comes exactly a fortnight after terrorists struck at army brigade headquarters at Uri, 102 km from Srinagar, killing 19 soldiers.
BSF Inspector General (Kashmir) Vikash Chandra said that 'there could be few more terrorists (involved in the attack), may be two more, but that is not confirmed as of now.'
Pakistan violated ceasefire in Shahpur along the Line of Control in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir.
Heavy mortar shelling and firing was reported from the Pakistani side in Poonch.
The fresh attack comes after terrorists attacked the Indian Army and Border Security Force camps in Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, in which a jawan personnel was killed.
He said the firing started about 10.30 pm on Sunday night after the BSF men detected some ‘suspicious movement’ in the vicinity of their camp that they shared with the 46 Rashtriya Rifles of the army.
“Our camp is co-located with the RR. The boys on sentry duty detected suspicious movement and when fire came in they came out of the bunker to effectively take on the terrorists. Jawan Nitin was grievously injured when a grenade lobbed by terrorists hit him,” he said.
The boys retaliated and repulsed the attack and did not allow the terrorists to enter the camp, the BSF chief in Kashmir Valley said, adding the terrorists melted into the darkness and a search operation is on.
He added that another jawan Pulwinder was hit on his leg during the exchange of fire and both were rushed to hospital in an army vehicle where Nitin succumbed to injuries.
Chandra said the terrorists attacked the camp from a corner where it shares the perimeter with a civilian locality.
“A GPS set, a compass and a wire cutter has been recovered from the spot where militants were holed up opposite the camp. Investigations are underway,” he said.
Senior BSF officials said the slain constable Nitin hailed from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh.
Photographs: Umar Ganie/Rediff.com