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33 killed in attack on
army camp in Jammu

At least thirty-three persons, including women and children, were killed when heavily armed militants opened indiscriminate fire in a Himachal Roadways bus and later stormed an army camp at Kalu Chak on the Jammu-Pathankote highway early on Tuesday morning.

While seven people were killed in the bus, rest of victims were residents of the army camp. All three militants also died in the attack.

Police said the three fidayeens, dressed in army fatigues, boarded a Jammu-bound bus near Vijaypur on the Jammu-Pathankote highway early on Tuesday morning.

As the bus reached the Kalu Chak camp, one of them asked the driver to stop and then all three of them, without any warning, opened indiscriminate fire killing six passengers and the driver.

In the panic that followed, the militants managed get off the bus and sneak into the army camp after killing a guard at the gate.

Once inside, they lobbed hand-grenades and sprayed bullets from their automatic weapons killing mostly children and women.

The Kalu Chak camp houses army officers' families.

As the militants moved deeper into the camp, troops took positions around the camp and engaged them. The exchange of fire continued for over four hours during which all three militants were killed.

"It was a fierce gun fight. The troops combed the whole area after the three fidayeens were gunned down," said a senior police officer.

The injured have been moved to the military hospital in Jammu. Eighteen of them are stated to be critical.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, who flew down from Srinagar, reviewed the situation along with Governor G C Saxena and senior army and police officers.

Later, talking to newsmen Dr Abdullah condemned the attack as a "barbaric act of terrorism."

Two militant outfits -- lesser known Al-Mansoorian and Jamaitul Mujaheedin -- have owned responsibility for the attack. Irfan Kashmiri a spokesman for Al-Mansoorian called a local news agency NAFA to claim responsibility for the attack.

He identified the three fidayeens as Abu Marsad, Abu Jaffer and Abu Sheal.

A Jamait spokesman too called the same agency to claim responsibility for the attack.

Twenty five of those killed in the attack have been identified so far, officials said.

They are:
1. Krishan Jee Raina r/o Talab Tillo, Jammu
2. Parmeshwani Devi r/o R S Pura, Jammu
3. Pritam Kumar r/o Ram Nagar, Udhampur
4. Sunaina Devi r/o Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
5. Boop Chand r/o Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
6. Mrs J N Yadav
7. Daughter of Subedar Attar Singh
8. Son of Subedar Attar Singh
9. Daughter of Subedar Gurdev Singh
10.Wife of Subedar Gurdev Singh
11. Wife of Lance Naik Harbhajan Singh
12. Havaldar Roop Chand
13. Son of H M Manjeet Singh
14. Wife of DMT Gurlal Singh.
15. Daughter of DMT Gurlal Singh
16. Wife of CFN L D Singh
17. Manjeet Singh
18. Mother of R D P Singh
19. Daughter of R D P Singh
20 Havaldar H S Chauhan
21. Daughter of Havaldar H S Chauhan
22. Wife of Havaldar H S Chauhan
23. R K Yadav
24. Wife of R K Yadav
25. Prem Singh (driver of the bus)

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