Uri, Sept. 18: The garrison town of Uri and the villages around were jolted awake by a string of loud explosions early this morning, the worried residents fearing they had come under intense Pakistani shelling.

They soon heard the gunshots and saw plumes of smoke rising from inside the 12 Infantry brigade headquarters. It didn't take them long to realise that what was unfolding was a militant attack, the deadliest in years.

Four heavily armed militants carrying "some items" that bore "Pakistani markings" had struck at an administrative base of an army unit at 5.30am while most of the soldiers slept, the army said.

Seventeen soldiers were killed and another 20 injured in the next three hours, marking the highest casualty the army has suffered in any attack in the 27 years of militancy.

Most of the soldiers died from the fire set off in their tents and temporary shelters by the "incendiary ammunition" that the terrorists used, the army added.

All four militants were "foreign terrorists" and had been killed, army authorities said. They added that the raiders seemed to have been from the Jaish-e-Mohammad, the group that had attacked the Pathankot airbase in Punjab in January, killing seven personnel.

"Today's attack took place as the 10 Dogra regiment was being replaced by 6 Bihar, and for that additional troops were camped in tents and temporary shelters," an army officer said in Srinagar. Most of the dead and injured were from these two units.

The army is probing whether the militants had advance information about the turnover. The troops enjoy a cordial relationship with Uri residents -- the reason the town observed a shutdown out of respect for the slain --- who get to know well in advance about any turnover. It's possible somebody had passed the information on.

"When the attack began, we feared that Pakistan had resumed shelling. But then word spread that it was a militant strike," a shopkeeper said. "It is a peaceful area; we had never before seen such an attack in Uri town."

Cross-border shelling had been routine here in the 1990s but the area has largely been calm since the 2002 ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

"The terrorists fired incendiary ammunition along with the automatic fire of small arms that led to army tentsemporary shelters catching fire," the director-general of military operations, Lt General Ranbir Singh, said.

"The tents located in the complex were to house additional troops inducted due to routine turnover of units. There have been a total of 17 casualties. Of these 13-14 have been due to these tents/shelters catching fire."

Singh said that since some of the "items" the militants carried bore Pakistani markings, he had called up his Pakistani counterpart to express "serious concern". He did not say what these "items" were.

Army sources said the militants struck from the camp's rear. "They lobbed a number of grenades. The tents, temporary shelters and some buildings caught fire, trapping some troops inside," an officer said in Srinagar.

Several bodies were charred beyond recognition.

When The Telegraph reached the spot around 11am, smoke was billowing from three spots inside the camp, indicating the militants had earlier spread out in various directions to target the forces.

The entrance to the camp and the road leading to it had been sealed, giving a desolate look to the camp. A lone trooper stood close to the gate, warning the visiting journalists to stay away.

Helicopters, which seemed to be the only transport the camp was using, made dozens of sorties, bringing commandos from Baramulla and senior officers from Srinagar while ferrying the injured to the army's 192 base hospital in Srinagar.

The army chief, General Dalbir Singh Suhag, visited the site of operation while defence minister Manohar Parrikar arrived in Srinagar.

Uri is 70km from Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and over 100km from Srinagar, and is located on the highway connecting the two cities. The sprawling army camp, set on the foothills of a mountain range, is to the road's left. On the road's right side, the Jhelum flows into PoK.

Uri township is hemmed by the Line of Control on three sides. The Kaman Bridge, which separates the two Kashmirs, is 18km from here and the militants are unlikely to have taken this longer route.

Police sources said the militants probably crossed the LoC, barely 4km from Uri, close to the Sukadar and Silikote villages that are located to the camp's northeast, between the fence and the LoC.

The gap between the fence and the LoC ranges between 100 metres at some places to several kilometres at others, thanks to Pakistan's objections.

"It is a highly protected border and it's hard to imagine how militants can breach it," a police officer said.

"The received wisdom is that a militant would struggle to survive in Uri even for a day because of the strong presence of the forces. They may have crossed the LoC last night and reached the camp before dawn."

Officials said the attack had to be viewed against the backdrop of the unrest that has gripped Kashmir for the past 72 days and has left 85 dead and thousands injured.

"Pakistan-based militant groups have been openly expressing sympathy with the victims (of security forces' firing) and perhaps they wanted to send a message that they were avenging these deaths," a source in the Mehbooba Mufti government said.

Chief minister Mehbooba, who has been under fire for failing to control the unrest, said the attack was a move to create a war-like situation.

"The heightened tensions following the Uri attack are set to further vitiate the atmosphere in and around Jammu and Kashmir amid increasing Indo-Pak hostility," she said.

"Unfortunately, the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who are already mired in an agonising situation, shall have to bear the brunt of the fresh attempts being made to step up violence and trigger fresh bloodshed in the state."

Former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: "If the reports are correct and 13 of the 17 fatalities are because of burns, it's a crying shame that fire retardant tents aren't the norm! While we work out who is to blame for Uri & what an appropriate response will be, do we not owe our troops flame-retardant tents & huts?"

Among the deadliest militant attacks in the state in the past was the Kaluchak massacre of 2002 in Jammu, which claimed the lives of 31 people: 3 soldiers, 18 family members of soldiers, and 10 other civilians.

THE RIPPLES

We strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Uri. I assure the nation that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished

Narendra Modi
Prime Minister

India will not be cowed down by such attacks, we will thwart the evil designs of terrorists and their backers

Pranab Mukherjee
President

Pakistan is a terrorist state and it should be identified and isolated as such.... I am deeply disappointed with Pakistan’s continued and direct support to terrorism and terrorist groups

Rajnath Singh
home minister

The terrorists, their masters and supporters should be dealt with firmly and conclusively

Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi
RSS general secretary

I strongly condemn the attack, which seems to be aimed at triggering fresh violence and creating a war-like situation in the region

Mehbooba Mufti
J&K chief minister

May their (the soldiers’) souls rest in peace. Prayers for their families as also for the injured.... While we work out who is to blame for the Uri (attack) and what an appropriate response will be, do we not owe our troops flame-retardant tents and huts? If the reports are correct and 13 of the 17 fatalities are because of burns, it’s a crying shame that fire-retardant tents are not the norm

Omar Abdullah
former J&K chief minister

Time has come to respond in the manner which is befitting and deterrent for the future

Jitendra Singh
minister of state, PMO

Strongly condemn the militant attack on the army base in Uri. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the bravehearts martyred in the attack

Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader

Not strong condemnation, take strong action. Now talking will not do, reply to them. This is not politics but unity, integrity and security of the country

Lalu Prasad
RJD leader

Saddened to hear of the cowardly attack in Uri. Prayers for the families of our martyred soldiers and may the terrorists be punished soon

Shah Rukh Khan
actor