3 labourers were killed in a terrorist attack at a GREF camp in Akhnoor in Jammu.
Highlights
- High alert sounded in Jammu following the attack
- Terrorists attacked the camp around 2 am
- This was the first terror attack in Jammu in 2017
Three labourers working for the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) died and another was injured as terrorists attacked the camp just 2 km from the International Border in Battal area of Akhnoor sector, Jammu and Kashmir.
The attack, by at least two terrorists, took place around 1.15 am on Monday, said security forces. Security forces suspect that they infiltrated into India from across the border.
There were 10 personnel and around 10 labourers in the GREF platoon at the time.
The heavily armed terrorists went on a rampage for almost an hour inside the camp. Eyewitnesses said they opened fire indiscriminately, threw grenades, burned all office records and set vehicles on fire.
A massive search is on inside and around the camp to trace the terrorists, whose exact number is unknown.
"The army is conducting operations. They have cordoned off the entire area. All the GREF personnel and other labourers present in the area have been rescued," said an official.
The government has claimed that the terrorists came from Pakistan. "There are evidences that show terrorism perpetrates from Pakistan's soil, it has isolated them," said Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh.
Conveying her condolences to the families of deceased workers, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti underscored the need for working together to end the cycle of violence and bloodshed during a debate in the Legislative Assembly.
Schools and colleges in Akhnoor have been closed in wake of attack and a high alert has been sounded across Jammu.
The GREF is the parent cadre force of the Border Roads Organisation which builds and maintains border roads in the country.
This was the first terror attack in Jammu in the New Year. The last attack took place on November 29, when terrorists wearing police uniforms killed seven soldiers, including two officers, at an army camp in Jammu's Nagrota area. The same day, the terrorists had also attacked a Border Security Force camp in Samba district.