2 CRPF men killed, 3 hurt in militant attack

Tribune News Service/ PTI
Srinagar, October 5

Two motorcycle-borne Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants opened indiscriminate fire on a security forces party in the Nowgam area of the city here today, killing two CRPF personnel and injuring three others, the police said.

The injured included an assistant sub-inspector of the CRPF.

Militants fired at the security forces party near the Kandizal bridge on the outskirts of Srinagar in the afternoon, a police official said.

The injured were taken to the Army’s 92 base hospital, where the doctors declared two of them — Constables Shalinder Pratap Singh and Devndra Kumar Tripathi — brought dead.

The other three personnel — ASI Gorakh Nath, Constable Kirgain and Constable James — were undergoing treatment and their condition was stated to be stable.

The militants fled the spot after the attack. Soon after the incident, the area was cordoned off and a manhunt was launched to nab the attackers. Senior officials also rushed to the spot.

Speaking to reporters, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said the attack was carried out by two LeT militants who had been identified.

“Two LeT militants came on a motorbike and fired indiscriminately at the CRFP road opening party using AK-47 rifles. The forces retaliated and there was heavy cross-firing. The militants were successful in escaping, but we have identified them and will soon neutralise them,” the IGP said.

He said one of the militants had been identified as Saifullah, a Pakistani militant, and the other was a local.

“Saifullah was involved in an attack on the CRPF in Chadoora in which an ASI was killed. He was also involved in firing in Nowgam. This is his third attack and we will neutralise him soon,” Kumar said.

He said militants find it easy to target security forces on the highway.

“The national highway is a target and a vulnerable place, but as many civilian vehicles pass every day, our forces face difficulty in retaliating. If we also retaliate and fire indiscriminately, there will be civilian casualties. So, we have to take preventive measures,” the IGP said.

Kumar said the militants were using guerrilla warfare tactics to attack the forces.

“Militants do not announce that they are coming for an attack, they come by concealing their weapons, come close and then fire. They attack like guerrilla warfare, but we have a solution to this and we will soon neutralise them,” he said. — PTI

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