Attackers Identified, Highway Vulnerable: IGP
Srinagar, Oct 3: Two bike-borne militants of ‘Lashker-e-Toiba’ carried out a broad daylight attack on CRPF on Jammu-Srinagar highway near Pampore on Monday afternoon, killing two paramilitary men and injuring three others.
Official sources told GNS that two militants riding a bike fired “indiscriminately” on a Road Opening Party (ROP) of CRPF’s 110 battalion near Tangan Bypass before escaping from the spot.
Five CRPF men were injured who were subsequently shifted to Army’s 92 Base Hospital. Two of them—constables Shailendra Singh and Dhirendra Tripathi (driver) succumbed to wounds while ASI Goraknath , head constable Mukund Singh and constable D Kipgen are under treatment.
Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar who visited the scene of attack told reporters that militants carried out the attack at 12:45 P.M.
“Two bike borne militants fired indiscriminately on CRPF’s ROP with Ak-47. Our personnel retaliated and there was a lot of cross firing in which two more jawans were injured. They (militants) have been identified. We will soon neutralize him,” the IGP said.
“One is a Pakistani militant Saifullah and the other is a local. He (Pakistani militant) had carried out an attack in Chadoora in which one ASI was killed. Some days back he carried out an attack from some distance in Nowgam. This is his third attack”, he added.
To a question that the highway remains a target for militants, the top police officer responded in affirmative. “It is a target. It is vulnerable. Many civilian vehicles move and there is difficulty for the jawans to retaliate. If we also fire indiscriminately, there is the possibility of civilian casualties. We have to fire with preventive measures,” he said, adding, “Militants don’t come announcing beforehand that they are coming. They come by concealing weapons and fire from nearby. This is a guerilla war type attack. We have a solution for it and very soon we will neutralize him.”
Asked about the condition of the three paramilitary men, he said, “All three men are stable at the army’s 92 base hospital.”
