Uri attack: Major lapse in security helped Jaish fidayeens get access to Army camp; role of `mole` being probed

New Delhi: A day after seventeen brave jawans were killed in the dastardly attack carried out allegedly by Jaish-e-Mohammad militants in an Army camp at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir, reports now point to major lapses in the security arrangements which enabled the four terrorists to sneak inside and unleash mayhem.

According to a ToI reports, the security agencies are now probing two-point breach in the security to determine how terrorists got inside the army camp and opened fire at soldiers who were sleeping at the time of attack.

As per the report, the agencies suspect that the first breech in security occurred at the Line of Control (LoC) at Uri, and the second at the perimeter of the Army base that saw the fencing wire being cut.

The two lapses, the security agencies believes, helped the suspected Jaish-e-Mohammad fidayeen access the heavily-guarded camp and execute one of the deadliest suicide attacks in J&K.

While the investigators point to the role of a 'mole' in helping the Uri attack mastermind, they have reasons to believe that the attackers were fully aware of the camp's layout and knew their way around.

One of the initial findings – the sentry on duty were not sufficiently alert - is believed to have been discussed during the review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

During the meeting, those who attended it have unanimously considered it a serious lapse in view of the lesson from Pathankot where a fidayeen squad of Jaish infiltrated the strategically crucial air base, and because of Pakistan's attempt to cause upheaval in J&K.

The report also quoted intelligence sources as saying that JeM hand in the attack was identified after its representative called up a local journalist in Kashmir to claim responsibility for the Uri carnage.

Incidentally, Jaish is also believed to be behind the Pathankot attack but it did not claim responsibility for the same them.

Primary investigations into the Uri attack point to the involvement of Jaish terrorists, who seem to have followed their usual modus operandi of infiltrating from across Pakistan the night before the attack and heading straight for the target.

Agencies suspect that the four Jaish fidayeen crossed the LoC at Uri, which lies not too far from the Army base, late on Saturday night and waited there for an early morning strike.

Agencies have also pointed to the involvment of a mole or an overground worker who could have possibly alerted the Jaish masterminds about troop positions within the camp, thus helping them maximise casualties.

"A recce was done. The terrorists were aware of the layout of the camp and knew their way around. They had possibly identified the stretches where the fence was not properly manned and accordingly found a safe spot to cut the perimeter wire,"an intelligence officer was quoted as saying.

"All possible lapses on part of the Army, which was in charge of guarding both the LoC and base perimeter, are subjects of a detailed enquiry," he added.