Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has condemned the terrorist strike on army and police camps in Jammu and Kashmir, but said it would not succeed in derailing efforts at peace through dialogue with Pakistan.
In a statement, Dr. Singh said: "No words are strong enough to condemn the heinous terrorist attack on Hiranagar Police Station and the Army camp at Samba in Jammu and Kashmir this morning. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the brave army and police officers, as well as the innocent civilians martyred in this cowardly attack."
Asserting that this is one more in a series of provocations and barbaric actions by the enemies of peace," Dr. Singh said: "We are firmly resolved to combat and defeat the terrorist menace that continues to receive encouragement and reinforcement from across the border."
"Such attacks will not deter us and will not succeed in derailing our efforts to find a resolution to all problems through a process of dialogue," he added.
The attack comes a day after Manmohan Singh left for the U.S. yesterday, where he is scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on Sunday for talks.
In a major attack, the militants have killed at least 12 people in a police station and an army cantonment in Jammu and Kashmir this morning.
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The militants first attacked a police station in Hiranagar of Kathua district. According to reports, six policemen and three civilians have been killed in the attack on the police station.
The militants later intercepted a truck on the highway, boarded it and forced its driver to move towards Jammu. The militants stopped the vehicle near the gate of an army camp in Samba and attacked the camp.
The militants started firing inside the army area, initiating the encounter with the security personnel. A gun-battle is still on. Further details are awaited.
