Frankfurt: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the twin terror strikes in Jammu on Thursday morning an attack on peace but also reiterated that talks with Pakistan will go on. The Prime Minister who was in Frankfurt en route to New York for the 68th United Nations General Assembly session made the statement even as Army personnel were engaged in a fierce gunbattle with at least two terrorists holed up in the 16 Cavalry unit camp in Samba.
"No words are strong enough to condemn the heinous terrorist attack on Hiranagar Police Station and the Army camp at Samba in Jammu and Kashmir this morning. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the brave army and police officers, as well as the innocent civilians martyred in this cowardly attack. This is one more in a series of provocations and barbaric actions by the enemies of peace. We are firmly resolved to combat and defeat the terrorist menace that continues to receive encouragement and reinforcement from across the border. Such actions will not deter us and will not succeed in derailing our efforts to find a resolution to all problems through a process of dialogue," the Prime Minister said in a statement.
Till now 12 people including three Army personnel, five policemen, two civilians and two terrorists have been killed in the attack that started just 72 hours ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's meeting in New York.
Terrorists first attacked a police station in Kathua and then an Army camp in Samba. An alert has now been issued in the entire state.
The Home Secretary and the IB chief have briefed Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde about the fidayeen attack. After the attack on a police station in Kathua that left five policemen and two civilians dead, the terrorists escaped in a bus from the spot, killed the bus driver and are now engaged in an exchange of fire with Army personnel at a camp of the 16 Cavalry in Samba.
Lieutenant Colonel Bikramjeet Singh, who was the Second-in-Command of the 16 Cavalry, and two Army personnel have died while two others have been injured. One of the killed soldiers has been identified as Sepoy Kiran Kumar.
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