SRINAGAR: Army on Tuesday called off combing and search operation in 36 Brigade military station in Sunjwan, Jammu, four days after Jaish-e-Mohammad fidayeen stormed the heavily fortified camp.
The death toll in the fidayeen attack rose to 10 with the recovery of body of a soldier from the camp.
Defence spokesman Lt Colonel Devender Anand told New Indian Express that the combing and search operation in the Sunjwan army camp was called off today.
He said the clearance operation took time because the camp was spread over many acres of land and there were over 200 residential quarters.
Anand said during the clearance operation, army men recovered bullet-ridden body of a soldier from the residential quarter yesterday evening.
The deceased soldier was identified as Havaldar Rakesh Chandra of 6 Mahar R/o Sankar, Paurigarwal in Uttarakhand.
The defence spokesman said the soldier might have been killed in the gunfight on the second day of fidayeen attack on Sunday. The third militant was killed on Sunday and since then army men were conducting searches and sanitisation operation.
With the recovery of body of the jawan, the death toll in the fidayeen attack on army camp rose to 10. Among the dead include six soldiers, a civilian and three militants.
At least 11 people including two officers were also injured in the gunfight. One the officer was hit by bullet in army but he is stable now in army hospital in Jammu.
The heavily fortified army camp was stormed by three fidayeen of Afzal Guru Squad of Jaish-e-Mohammad on Saturday morning.
After forcing their entry into the camp from the rear side, the militants had split and forced their entry into the residential quarters, where the soldiers and officers and their families were living.
The Army’s Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs), para-commandos and specially trained commandos rushed to the spot from Udhampur and Himachal Pradesh had battled the militants for two days, killing all the three attackers.
Meanwhile, police and army launched combing operation in Domana area of Jammu after some suspected persons were seen roaming around the military camp on Jammu-Poonch highway.
Sources said the army men manning the posts at the main gate of the army camp in Domana fired some rounds in air after observing some suspicious movement.
They said immediately army and police men launched combing and search operation in the area and adjoining areas.
“The security personnel conducted thorough searches. However, no contact was established with the militants. Later the operation was called off,” sources said.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jammu, S D Singh Jamwal told New Indian Express that nothing has come out.
“It might have been a speculative fire by the army men,” he said.
The army and police are on high alert in Jammu after the Saturday’s fidayeen attack on army camp at Sunjwan.