Militancy returned to the Kashmir Valley with more vigor, sending out a clear message to New Delhi and Islamabad who is the boss in Pak, as in the worst ever attack this year on the eve of prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's visit, terrorists, suspected to be the Hizbul Mujahideen group, ambushed an Army convoy killing eight jawans and injuring 19 others on the outskirts of Srinagar.
Late last evening the prime minister’s office said there is no question of the Singh cancelling his trip to the Valley in view the terror attack. The brazen attack came even as security has been beefed up across the Valley in view of PM’s two-day visit starting tomorrow. The Prime Minister is scheduled to reach here along with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on a two-day visit, during which he is expected to announce a package for border districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Singh and Sonia will also launch train service on a railway section between Qazigund in Kashmir and Banihal in Jammu region that will provide an all-weather link to the Valley, the first such ever.
The brazen attack at the Hyderpora area of the city, which is the second in three days and the deadliest so far this year, was claimed to have been carried out by the pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen outfits but security establishment believes that it is the handiwork of banned Lashker-e-Taiba terror outfit. Security has been beefed up across the state in view of the attack as intelligence inputs suggested that militants may try to carry out more such attacks during the VVIP visit.
Yesterday’s audacious attack took place at 1635 hrs near the Classic Hospital on Panthachowk-Parimpora stretch on the national highway leading to north Kashmir when a convoy of 35 Rashtriya Rifles was going to its base camp at Budgam.
Militants, armed with AK assault rifles, attacked the convoy from front as well as back and, according to eyewitnesses, three terrorists carried out the attack that left eight jawans dead and 19 others injured. According to the Army, the condition of three jawans was stated to be critical. The militants, who had snatched a motorcycle from two students in the nearby Baghat area, fled from the scene on the two-wheeler as Army cordoned off the area. While fleeing, the militants were intercepted by a joint naka party of the police and CRPF at Barzulla. The ultras hurled a grenade and opened firing, resulting in injuries to a CRPF sub-inspector, a policeman and a civilian woman. The militants then boarded a black Santro car and sped from the place.
High alert has been sounded and security forces have been asked to remain on the look out for the car. The Army pressed into service choppers in an attempt to track the car used by the militants.The students, whose bike was hijacked, told police that militants were armed with AK 47 rifles and spoke chaste Urdu, normally not spoken in Kashmir. Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attack. One Baliguddin, identifying himself as spokesperson of the outfit, called up a local news agency and said several squads have been formed and similar attacks will be carried out in the city in the future as well.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah said such attacks will not shatter the morale of the security forces who have had great success in the past against the militant group. "Such high profile attacks are aimed at restoring the shattered morale of the militants while trying to demoralize the security forces," he said.Today's attack comes two days after Hizbul Mujahideen militants gunned down two policemen in the heart of Srinagar city.
