The Army on Sunday said the four terrorists killed after they slaughtered 17 soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir were foreigners and belonged to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit.
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He said that 13 to 14 of the army men killed died because of fires in their tent and temporary shelters.
The National Conference working president also criticised the “fancy” facilities for the Army officers while the jawans were being taken for granted.
The raid was 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.
“This is a highly condemnable and tragic incident”.
Condemning the “cowardly” terror attack on an Army camp in Uri, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday assured the nation that those behind the “despicable” strike won’t go unpunished.
India blames the outlawed group, which is based in Pakistan, for a series of attacks in the Himalayan region and Indian cities, including the attack on India’s Parliament in 2001 that brought nuclear rivals India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
In an even stronger response, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted: “Pakistan is a terrorist state and should be identified and isolated as such”. India always tries to hide behind anti-Pakistan propaganda.
“I am deeply pained at the news of the death of our 17 fearless soldiers”.
Appealing Indian citizens “to seek answers from country’s leadership, ultra nationalist news channels and warmongers”, a lawmaker from Jammu and Kashmir says “why doesn’t New Delhi answer if Pakistani rangers facilitated entry of militants to Kashmir, what was Indian Army monitoring at the Line of Control?”.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh cancelled his Russian Federation and United States trip due to the situation prevailing in the Valley. He added that initial reports suggested that they were from Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). A militant uprising and subsequent army crackdown since 1989 have killed more than 68,000 people.
Over two dozen soldiers were also injured in the audacious sneak attack, which Home Minister Rajnath Singh blamed on “terrorist state” Pakistan and called for its isolation.
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“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 news agency. “He saluted the martyrs and wished early recovery to those injured”, the spokesman said.
