17 army men killed in Kashmir attack

Smoke billows out from inside an Indian Army base which was attacked by suspected militants in Uri, some 115 west of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, 18 September 2016. At least 17 Indian Army soldiers and four militants were killed after a

Smoke billows out from inside an Indian Army base which was attacked by suspected militants in Uri, Jammu & Kashmir. Source: AAP, EPA

17 soldiers were killed in an early morning attack on an army base in Uri sector in Jammu & Kashmir on Sunday, sparking another tense standoff between India and Pakistan.


Soldiers died in an armed attack on a brigade headquarter in Uri sector in Jammu & Kashmir on Sunday. The four attackers were killed in a during an ensuing gunbattle with the Indian armed forces.

The attackers used incendiary weapons that caused a fire in the tents wherein soldiers were asleep, resulting in the deaths of at least 14 army men.

Total 17 soldiers died as a result of the attack, the heaviest toll for the Indian Army in the restive Kashmir valley since the beginning of the armed insurgency in 1990.

The Indian authorities say the attackers had infiltrated into Indian territory from Pakistan. 

Indian has directly blamed Pakistan for the attack.

"Pakistan is a terrorist state and it should be identified and isolated as such," Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, adding that the attackers were "highly trained, heavily armed and specially equipped", said India's home minister, Rajnath Singh.


India’s Director General of Military Operations said the markings on items found on the attackers showed they had come from Pakistan. The Indian DGMO said a protest has been lodged with his Pakistani counterpart.

 Pakistan has rejected what it called "baseless and irresponsible accusations" and said it was, "deplorable that the Indian Minister chose to blame Pakistan for the incident even prior to conducting a proper investigation."

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