Suspected rebels using guns and grenades sneaked into a crucial army base in Indian-controlled Kashmir early September 18 and killed at least 17 soldiers in the deadliest attack on a military base in the disputed Himalayan region in recent years, the army said. The meeting was attended by Union home minister Rajnath Singh, defence minister Manohar Parrikar, finance minister Arun Jaitley, national security advisor Ajit Doval, army chief Dalbir Singh and home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.
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The foundation said the attack was allegedly carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Pakistan-based militant group and a United States designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation, believed to receive military and logistical support from the Pakistani army.
Army battalions along the LoC as well as forward IAF airbases on the Western front have in any case been put on “full alert” to take care of any contingency, government sources said.
“.from the army’s side, alertness is required”.
“I don’t think in these situations there is any scope for any constructive dialogue”. “We will take our next steps carefully”.
At the meeting where External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was conspicuously absent, the top security brass briefed the prime minister on the prevailing ground situation in Kashmir Valley in the wake of the attack, the sources said.
According to him, the attack was different as the militants who launched it and were subsequently killed in the gunfight were all wearing combat dresses and clean shaven.
He said the Modi government “appears to have learnt no lessons” which finally resulted in the cowardly Uri attack. “Modi is singularly responsible for this complete disarray of foreign policy wherein a renegade, pariah nation like Pakistan, which is harbinger of global terror network and which stood isolated amongst worldwide community on account of sustained policy of the Congress-led UPA government, is trying to project itself on worldwide arena as a player for regional stability in Southeast Asia”, he said.
During the attack, 17 Indian soldiers were killed.
Yesterday, the Modi government announced it intends to bring the evidence of Pakistani complicity in the Uri attack before the world’s governments, as part of a push to isolate and sanction Pakistan as a “terrorist state”.
In addition, field commanders also expressed concern that even localised battles along the LoC, with Indian and Pakistani forward positions trading fire, could facilitate infiltration – thus helping jihadist groups already operating against the Army inside Kashmir. Intelligence officers said this clearly shows that the Jaish were involved.
They said the inquiry will look into all possible lapses that could have led to the attack and ascertain whether it could have been prevented. He also questioned why the government did not take preventive measures to pre-empt the Uri attack if there was information available from different agencies.
The Uri terrorist attack is yet another reminder of the threat global terrorism poses, said Congressman Brad Sherman, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. “We reserve the right to respond to any act of the adversary at a time and place of our own choosing”. “However, we have the desired capability to respond to such blatant acts of aggression and violence as deemed appropriate by us”, Director General of Military Operations Lt Gen Ranbir Singh told reporters.
He said the Army operation in Uri ended on Monday after successful conduction of detailed search of the area in and around the military brigade.
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“The Indian Army has displayed considerable restraint while handling the terrorist situation both along the Line of Control and in hinterland. We will not let these attacks affect our united fight against terrorism”, said Congressman Pete Sessions, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules.
