Militants yesterday attacked an Indian army brigade headquarters near the de facto border with Pakistan, killing 17 soldiers in one of the most deadly attacks in the northern region of Kashmir in a quarter-century-old insurgency.
Four fidayeen — or commando-style gunmen willing to fight to the death — were confirmed killed after penetrating the base in Uri near the Line of Control with Pakistan, an Indian army spokesman said.
Television reporters at the scene said the dawn raid had surprised soldiers in their sleep. The attackers set fire to one building before the four were killed in a gunfight that lasted several hours.
An army spokesman confirmed that 17 soldiers were killed in the attack, making the toll far worse than a similar raid on an army base in Punjab state in January that India has blamed on Pakistan-based militants.
The army deployed helicopters to evacuate soldiers who had been injured as an operation continued to secure the area. The Indian Ministry of Defense in New Delhi put the number of wounded at 35.
The raid comes amid heightened tension in India’s only Muslim-majority region, which has faced more than two months of protests following the July 8 killing of a popular separatist commander.
At least 78 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in street clashes with the Indian security forces, who have been criticized by human rights groups for using excessive force.
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