Five months after three terrorists attacked an Army establishment in Samba, Jammu and Kashmir, an internal inquiry has ruled out any kind of security lapse on part of the authority, Western Army commander Lt Gen Philip Campose has said.

“There was no security lapse and the attack was a surprise. No terror incident had occurred in that area after August 2008 and the militants, who came in Army fatigues, surprised us,” said the Army Commander who was in Patiala to award distinguished soldiers and outstanding units of the Western Command during an investiture ceremony. He, however, said that there always remained a scope to learn from such incidents.

On September 26, 2013, at least 10 persons, including four Army men, were killed when three terrorists in Army fatigues attacked a police station in Kathua, and subsequently an Army camp in Samba. Six persons, including four policemen, were killed in the suicide strike on the police station at Hiranagar in Kathua.

Following the incident, the army ordered a probe to look whether all the standard operating procedures were observed by the officers and personnel of the 16 Cavalry unit.