Eight CRPF jawans killed in J&K militant attack
SRINAGARL Eight jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) lost their lives when their bus came under attack from militants at Namblabal near Pampore town on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway in Jammu and Kashmir.
A CRPF official said apart from the eight deaths, 24 jawans sustained injuries in the gunbattle that ensued after the attack.wo terrorists were gunned down in the retaliatory firing by CRPF personnel.
However, two other terrorists, who were in car, managed to flee from the spot.“Two terrorists have been killed. The injured (CRPF personnel) have been admitted to a hospital,” force commandant Rajesh Yadav said.
“The CRPF jawans were returning from firing range practice when the terrorists ambushed their convoy. Jawans retaliated strongly killing two terrorists,” Yadav added.Reinforcements were rushed to the area soon after the news of the attack broke.
As per the CRPF Inspector-General, both killed terrorists appeared to be Pakistanis and definitely from Lashkar-e-Toiba. In all likelihood, there were fidayeen (suicide attackers), the IG added.
The CRPF Director-General briefed Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the Pampore attack and will travel to Pampore tomorrow with other senior officials.The Home Minister, meanwhile, expressed deep anguish over the attack on the CRPF convoy.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju separately said “it’s a matter of concern as many jawans were martyred”.“It’s a tragedy. All aspects will be looked into,” Rijiju told reporters in New Delhi.
J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, meanwhile, expressed her condolences “to the families who have lost their loved ones in today’s dastardly militant attack”.Also today, two terrorists were killed by security forces in an encounter in Baramulla.
Separately, in Shopian, security forces busted a major module of the Hizbul Mujahideen and arrested three militants.
