Jammu & Kashmir: Wreath laying ceremony of four CRPF jawans in Budgam. They lost their lives in action in the ongoi… https://t.co/aSFZgjFvNZ — ANI (@ANI) 1514715000000

Pulwama terror attack: Four jawans martyred, two terrorists killed

SRINAGAR: Five jawans and two terrorists were killed in a firefight after heavily armed Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists stormed a security camp at Lethpora in Awantipora in Pulwama district, 30 km from Srinagar, in the early hours of Sunday. While four jawans died of gunshot wounds, the fifth soldier at the camp was declared dead of cardiac arrest.A third terrorist, holed up in a building and firing until late Sunday evening at the forces, managed to slip past the security dragnet, whilst a fourth is still believed to be hiding in the area. The dead as well as the surviving terrorists are Kashmiris.According to a senior CRPF officer, no terrorist has escaped. The operation has resumed on Monday. The number of terrorists who had entered the premises can be ascertained after the operation is over, the officer added.Pakistan-based terror outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammed, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group recently suffered a massive setback when, four days ago, Noor Mohammad Tantray alias Noor Trali, a top terrorist, was killed by the security forces in the same district.Sources said the Jaish attack was intended to avenge Trali’s killing. In November, three terrorists of the group were killed — among them was Talha Rasheed, the nephew of Jaish chief, Maulana Masood Azhar.“There was an input from the last two-three days. The militants were trying (to attack). They probably could not get a place and time earlier. So, they struck late last night,” J&K director general of police (DGP) S P Vaid told reporters on Sunday.All the terrorists were armed with automatic weapons and grenades. They stormed the camp around 2am on Sunday hurling grenades and firing before breaching the perimeter fence of the training centre of the 185 Battalion of the CRPF in Pulwama.While one jawan, Saifuddin Ganai of Nowgam Chadoora in Budgam district, was killed on spot, three jawans succumbed to their injuries in the military hospital here, a CRPF spokesman said.Inspector General of CRPF Ravideep Sahi said heavily armed Pakistani fidayeen (suicide squad) entered the camp in the dead of the night, which might have surprised the personnel and threw grenades and fired at them.“This was a deadly fidayeen attack by the Pakistani terrorists on the last day of 2017. Five of our boys laid down their lives to repulse the attack on the camp on the Srinagar-Jammu highway,” IG Sahi said.Downplaying the Kashmiri identity of terrorists, DGP S P Vaid said the overall trend of local boys joining militancy had gone down. He said stone pelting cases registered in 2016 and 2017 against at least 5,500 youth were under review after the government announced amnesty to 4,300 youth.Vaid also said 75 youth were stopped from joining militancy while seven youth had quit their ranks and returned to their families.A Jaish statement to local media said: “The blood of martyrs is yielding results... Talha Rasheed, Mohammad Bhai, commander Noor Mohammad Tantray and all other martyrs of Kashmir are not heirless...” The statement threatened more attacks on security forces.The slain terrorists, identified as Kashmiris, were Manzoor Ahmad Baba, son of Ali Mohammad Baba of Drubgam Pulwama; and, Fardeen Ahmad Khanday, son of Ghulam Mohammad Khanday, of Nazeen Pora Tral.