Three soldiers injured in explosion and gunfire attack on army camp in Kakopathar
Security forces launched a massive counter-operation after the midnight attack at the Indian Army’s 19 Grenadiers camp
The area where the midnight attack took place (AT Image)
Tinsukia, Oct 17: A series of explosions and gunfire targeted the Indian Army’s 19 Grenadiers camp at Kakopathar in Assam’s Tinsukia district, leaving three Army personnel injured and sparking widespread panic among residents in the area.
According to a defence spokesperson, the incident took place around 12:30 am on Friday when unidentified terrorists opened fire from a moving vehicle at the Kakopathar Company location. The troops on duty retaliated immediately and effectively, ensuring there was no collateral damage to civilian houses in the vicinity.
“Around 12:30 am, unidentified terrorists fired at the Kakopathar Company location from a moving vehicle. The troops on duty retaliated immediately and effectively took caution to avoid collateral damage to civilian houses in the vicinity,” the Army spokesperson said.
He further stated that the terrorists fled the area after carrying out “speculative firing using automatic weapons” due to the swift response from the troops.
“No major injuries were sustained other than minor abrasions to three personnel. The area has been sanitised and joint searches in coordination with the police are being carried out,” the spokesperson added.
Eyewitnesses reported a series of loud explosions followed by prolonged gunfire that lasted for nearly an hour.
“At first, we had no idea what was happening. Then we realised the Army camp was under attack,” said a local resident. “The firing and explosions went on for almost an hour. It was terrifying.”
Another resident, Deepjyoti, described the night as one of sheer fear.
“Around midnight, there were four powerful blasts followed by heavy gunfire. We were terrified and hid inside our homes. The explosions were so loud they shook our walls. This is the first time we’ve witnessed something like this and it felt like a war zone,” he said.
Preliminary reports suggest that the attackers used a truck to launch the assault before fleeing toward Arunachal Pradesh. A vehicle suspected to have been used in the attack was later found abandoned near Tengapani, close to the Assam-Arunachal border.
The area has since been sanitised, and joint Army and police operations are underway to track down the perpetrators.
The Kakopathar attack comes just a day after another militant strike on an Assam Rifles camp in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh. That assault left two Assam Rifles personnel Haricharan and Rahul Bora seriously injured, both of whom were airlifted to Jorhat for treatment.
The back-to-back attackshave raised serious security concerns across the Assam–Arunachal border region, prompting enhanced vigilance by the Army and state police.
- With inputs from PTI