Finger points to Pakistan as 17 dead in Uri siege

Four militants involved in the terror strike were killed by the Army. Pakistan rejected allegations that it was involved. “India immediately puts blame on Pakistan without doing any investigation. We reject this,” foreign ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria told the media. 

Explosions and gunfire erupted as the militants attacked the camp, which is located barely few metres away from the Army’s Brigade Headquarters in Uri town, 102km from here, around 4am, official sources said.

The jawans of the Dogra Regiment were sleeping in a tent which caught fire due the explosion. Nineteen other personnel were injured. In January, seven military personnel were killed when six terrorists attacked the Pathankot air base.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressed an emergency meeting to review the situation. Singh spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. 

Meanwhile, Director-General, Military Operation, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh called up his counterpart in Pakistan expressing “serious concerns” over Pakistani markings found on the equipment used by four “foreign” terrorists suspected to be belonging to Pakistan-based terror group JeM. 

“All four killed were foreign terrorists and had carried with them items which had Pakistani markings. Initial reports,” the Lt Gen Singh said in a brief statement to the media.

He added that since “the terrorists had some items with Pakistani markings, I have spoken to Pakistan DGMO and conveyed our serious concern on the same”. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Indian Army chief General Dalbir Singh arrived in Srinagar on Sunday afternoon on his way to the army camp in Uri.