NAGROTA, India, Nov. 29 (UPI) — Seven Indian army personnel, including two officers, died in an attack early Tuesday at a military base near Pakistan’s border in the the disputed Kashmir region, military officials said.
The attack occurred near Jammu in the town of Nagrota, 12.4 miles from the border with Pakistan, India’s army said in a statement.
Army personnel killed three militants and rescued 16 people — two women, two children and 12 soldiers — who were held hostage.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attackers were dressed as police officers when they entered the base around 5:30 a.m. They reportedly threw grenades as they entered the officers’ mess hall. Then, they entered residential buildings, which includes housing for families.
Defense Ministry spokesman Manish Mehta said “the situation is under control.”
The Nagrota base, which is home to 1,000 officers and their families, is one of four command centers in Jammu and Kashmir.
Infiltration by militants from Pakistakan have escalated despite a cease-fire.
On Sept. 18, militants from Pakistan attacked an army base in Uri, initially killing 17. Then, two others died from their injuries. Days later, the army targeted the Line of Control staging areas in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir of militants planning to attack Indian cities.
“India is not a weak country,” Nirmal Singh, deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said after the latest attack. “It will not be weakened and we will answer them in whatever language they understand,” he said.
