SRINAGAR: Suspected rebels attacked an Indian army brigade headquarters near the de factor border with Pakistan on Sunday, killing 17 soldiers in the most deadly such attack in Occupied Kashmir in recent years.
Four "fidayeen" - or commando-style gunmen willing to fight to the death - were confirmed killed after penetrating the base in Uri near the Line of Control with Pakistan, an Indian army spokesman said.
A police source told Reuters that the number of soldiers killed in the attack had risen to 17, making the toll far worse than a similar raid on an army base in Punjab state in January.
The army deployed helicopters to evacuate soldiers who had been injured in the dawn attack that was followed by an hours-long gunfight. The Defence Ministry in New Delhi put the number of wounded at 35.
The raid comes amid heightened tension in Occupied Kashmir which has faced more than two months of protests following the July 8 killing of a popular separatist field commander.
At least 104 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in street clashes with the Indian security forces, who have been criticised by human rights groups for using excessive force including shotguns that fire pellets that have blinded people.
FORCE ACTIVATION
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in a series of Twitter posts that he had spoken to the region's political and military leadership and had instructed senior officials to monitor the situation.
He cancelled planned trips to Russia and the United States.
"We have activated the entire force in and around Uri sector to step up security and launch combing operations," a senior Home Ministry official told Reuters.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish those responsible for the “despicable” and “cowardly” attack.
“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 tweet following the raid.
Pakistan rejects Indian allegations
Pakistan categorically rejected the Indian allegations of involvement in an attack on Indian security forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir’s Uri area near Line of Control.
The Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that Indian government never furnished evidence to substantiate their claims rather continuously blamed Pakistan even without carrying out an independent investigation into any incident.
He said Indian involvement in terror financing in Pakistan has been exposed by the Indian spy Kulbhavashan Yadav arrested in Pakistan revealing that India had been financing terrorist activities in Balochistan, Karachi and other areas.
He also recalled the statement of former American Defence Secretary Chuck Hegel saying that India had been financing from Afghanistan for instability in Pakistan.
To a comment about Indian media’s biased reporting, the Foreign Office spokesman said Indian media acted as the mouthpiece of the Indian government always toeing the official line.
The spokesperson said Pakistan had taken up the issue of Indian atrocities in IOK at the highest level including United Nations and OIC.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has written letters to secretary generals of the UN and OIC, he added.
The Foreign Office spokesperson said Indian media should report balanced and objectively and added that Pakistani media had played a positive role to highlight the Indian brutalities in IOK.