SRINAGAR: As the combing operation in army camp at Nagrota continued for third consecutive day on Thursday, investigators are probing the similarities between Nagrota and Uri militant attacks to zero-in on the militant group involved in the attacks.
“The combing operation in the army camp in Nagrota continued for the third day today. The bomb disposal teams are destroying the blinds (unexploded shells),” Jammu-based Defence spokesman Lt
Col Manish Mehta told Express.
He said the operation to destroy the unexploded shells and devices will also continue tomorrow.
A group of militants armed with sophisticated rifles, grenades and explosives and wearing police uniforms stormed heavily fortified army camp at Nagrota, three kilometers from 16 Corps headquarters, on Tuesday morning.
At least seven soldiers including two Majors and three militants were killed in the day-long encounter.
It was the second deadliest militant attacks after September 18 attack on army base in Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed.
After the Uri attack, army conducted surgical strikes on militant launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC) inflicting casualties among the militants.
Sources said army investigators investigating the Tuesday’s attack on army camp are probing the similarities between Nagrota and Uri attacks.
“There are some common links like recovery of explosives used in both attacks and modus operandi of the militants,” they said.
Sources said security forces recovered hand-written Urdu paper reading “Afzal Guru shaheed ke inteqaam ki ek aur kisht” (It is another installation of revenge of Saheed Afzal Guru” from the
militants killed in Nagrota attack.
They said if similarity between the two militant attacks was established, then it will prove that the attack was planned by a same militant group and it would be possible for the security agencies to
zero in on the group and identity the militants involved in Nagrota attack.
Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad was blamed for the attack on army base in Uri.
Jaish was also blamed for the attack on Indian Air Force base in Pathankote in Punjab.
J&K Director General of Police K Rajendra told Express that police is investigating the Nagrota attack.
“We have started investigations. We are investigating all aspects including involvement of Jaish-e-Mohammad militants in the attack after recovery of Urdu notes,” he said.
Rajendra said they are also probing the similarities between the Uri and Nagrota attacks.
Sources said army and police is also probing how the militants managed to reach near heavily fortified army camp and stormed it.
They said that investigators are probing whether militants had come from Kashmir or had infiltrated recently along Line of Control (LoC) or International Border (IB) in Jammu.