Seven army men dead in militant attack

SRINAGAR | NEW DELHI: On a day when General Qamar Javed Bajwa took over as the new Pak Army Chief, militants struck at two locations in Jammu, leading to firefights that left seven Army personnel dead and at least six militants killed. Several security personnel, including a BSF DIG, have also been injured in the attacks. The situation at the 16 Corps headquarters in Nagrota — one of the attack sites — was critical as families of Army personnel came under threat as militants stormed the mess area of an artillery unit. By the evening, operations ended and an Army spokesperson said a ‘hostage-like situation’ was contained after four family members, including two children, were safely evacuated. On Tuesday morning, at around 5:45 am a group of heavily armed militants, dressed as policemen, lobbed grenade at an entrance of an Army installation (166 artillery unit) in garrison town of Nagrota, near Jammu, and stormed inside, triggering a fierce gunbattle. The militants made their way to the officers’ mess area where family members were also staying, leading to the death of four personnel, including an officer. In subsequent operations to evacuate the family members, three more soldiers, including an officer, lost their life, an Army spokesperson said. According to officials, among those killed is Major Kunal Gosalvi. In a separate incident, militants attacked a BSF post in Chamliyal area of Ramgarh sector in Samba district, where three militants were killed.