Uri attacks probe: Terrorists locked jawans in cook-house and set it on fire, says report

The terrorists who attacked the Army camp in Uri, leaving 18 soldiers dead and another 19 injured, spent a day in the mountains situated above the brigade headquarters complex to observe their target, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said in its initial probe, a national daily has reported. 

According to the report, the NIA sources said that most of the fatalities happened in the cook-house and store room that was burnt by the terrorists during the attack. The two buildings were locked from outside so that those inside cannot escape and then it was set on fire, the report said. This suggests that the terrorists had fair knowledge about their targets.

The four terrorists attacked the complex from the western side. They first opened fire at a sentry, then three of them headed towards the tents of the soldiers and the two buildings, while the fourth terrorist went towards the officers’ mess.

The NIA had on Tuesday received from the Army a damaged Global Positioning System (GPS) set recovered from the attack site. The GPS data may now help in finding if the terrorists were from Pakistan. Army sources said that the second GPS set was badly damaged during the attack.

According to sources, NIA has also taken DNA samples and fingerprints of four terrorists. “These will be preserved as evidence, and can be used to determine matches in future if necessary,” sources said.

Lt General Ranbir Singh, Director General of Military Operations, had said on Sunday that the weapons had Pakistan markings. According to NIA officials, syringes, painkillers, other medications and packets of ready-to-eat food carried by the terrorists had the markings of several Pakistani manufacturers.

“All groups infiltrating from Pakistan carry this kind of kit,” an NIA official said, “so it doesn’t tell us anything very specific.”