Militants storm SOG camp, kill 4

SRINAGAR, Dec 27 (UNI) — A group of five Harkat-ul-Mujahideen militants stormed the heavily-guarded headquarters of special operation group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police at Halfchinar here this evening and killed at least four securitymen and wounded 15 others.

Official sources told UNI that five militants, four of them in police uniform and one in Army fatigues, came in a car which stopped just outside the main gate of headquarters at about 5.30 a.m. After killing two CRPF guards at the main gate the militants rushed to the main building firing indiscriminately with AK-47 rifles. The sources said two SOG personnel died and 15 others sustained bullet injuries in the firing.

Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, which is allegedly involved in the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar, has claimed responsibility for storming the SOG headquarters. The outfit has denied its involvement in the hijacking.

Militants later went inside the main SOG building. It was not immediately clear whether all the five militants entered the building, which is situated between an Army camp and a police station, or only two of them as stated by another report.

Reinforcements from various security force camps besides the nearby Army camp immediately reached the SOG headquarters and sealed the area. Inspector-General of Police A.K. Bhan and other senior police officials have rushed to the area to supervise the operation.

The fate of Superintendent of Police, Operations, Manohar Singh and his subordinate officials was not known.

The injured were evacuated to hospital in serious condition. Five of the injured SOG personnel were identified as Nazir Hussain, Muqsood Hussain, Sharif Hussain, Chander, Muneer Hussain while the injured CRPF men could not be identified immediately.

PTI adds: A person who introduced himself as a spokesman of the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul Mujahideen telephoned news organisations here minutes after the incident and claimed responsibility for the attack and warned that “such attacks will continue.”

The security forces cordoned off the entire area from Iqbal Park to Rambagh bridge.

The attack, which came at a time when Muslims break their day-long Ramzan fast, is the 12th such strike on security camps in Kashmir valley in the last five months.