Srinagar: Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured, one of them critically, as two heavily armed terrorists emerged from a dense cluster of trees and opened fire at their post in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday, officials said.
The two men disappeared into the forested area after the attack, which took place around 2.15 pm near Mir Bazar, about 75 km from Srinagar and just a kilometre from the strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, they said.
Initial reports suggested that the terrorists came on a motorcycle. However, ground verification during joint search operations by the Army and security agencies established that no two-wheeler was involved.
Recapping what happened, officials said two men approached the checkpost on foot from a forested area about 50 metres away. One opened fire while his associate provided cover. Both terrorists fled on foot towards Naupur through the same tree line, they said.
“The area has dense vegetation resembling a small forest, which the terrorists used as cover before and after the attack,” an official said.
A Motorola phone and a SIM card have been recovered.
While official confirmation regarding the identity of the attackers is awaited, security agencies suspect the involvement of Mohammed Lateef Bhat, a local commander of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit who had previously escaped a security operation in Shopian in July.
The wounded troopers were rushed to a hospital in neighbouring Anantnag district, about 22 km from the site. Visuals from the ground showed medical staff rushing to assist the injured on stretchers.
One CRPF jawan sustained severe abdominal injuries, while the other two suffered relatively minor wounds – one with a grazing bullet injury to his arm and the other hit in the leg and foot.
Security forces have cordoned off the entire region and launched a massive hunt to track down the terrorists. Additional barricades have been erected, armoured vehicles deployed, and announcements made over loudspeakers asking local residents to stay indoors.
Investigators are scanning CCTV footage from nearby commercial establishments to map the movement of the attackers. Video clips from the area show shuttered shops. The rapid staccato of gunfire and shouting can be heard. The injured CRPF jawans are seen charging towards the gunmen.
There were specific intelligence inputs regarding suspected terrorist movement in the area, an official said.
“The high state of alertness and prompt retaliation by security personnel on the spot effectively thwarted the terrorists’ plans, preventing them from inflicting heavy casualties or large-scale damage,” he said, adding that the attackers were forced to retreat without achieving their intended objectives.
According to security officials, the strike underscores the “growing frustration and desperation” among terror outfits operating in the region.
“They are finding it increasingly difficult to carry out strikes due to heightened operational readiness and robust area domination by security forces. The alertness and professional response of our security personnel on the ground averted a major incident and deserve high appreciation,” a senior official said.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was visiting Kulgam district on Wednesday but he was not near the scene of the attack.
The area lies close to the Pir Panjal mountain range, which connects south Kashmir’s Kulgam with Ramban, Reasi, and Rajouri districts in Jammu division.
Kulgam has witnessed multiple terror incidents recently, including the killing of two labourers from Chhattisgarh at a brick kiln on July 31 and the shooting of a police constable in neighbouring Anantnag earlier in the same month.
CRPF top brass briefs MHA on security situation after Kulgam attack
SRINAGAR: Senior officers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Wednesday briefed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir following an attack on its personnel in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district that left three jawans injured.
According to sources, a high-level meeting was held to assess the ground situation and review developments following the attack at a checkpoint in Kulgam.
The briefing came as security agencies examined the circumstances surrounding the firing and the possible movement of the motorcycle-borne attackers, who opened fire on CRPF personnel deployed at a naka before fleeing the scene.
Three CRPF personnel sustained firearm injuries in the attack. The condition of one of them was reported to be critical.
The incident comes after a few months of relative calm, following two attacks in south Kashmir earlier this year.
On July 22, a 35-year-old policeman, Aashiq Hussain Qureshi, was shot dead by terrorists while deployed for Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra security duty at Lal Chowk in Anantnag town.
On July 31, terrorists opened fire on two migrant labourers from Chhattisgarh at Kellam village in Kulgam. One of them, Deepak Ratray, was killed on the spot, while the other labourer, Bhupinder, later succumbed to his injuries.
NC, PDP, BJP leaders condemn terror attack
Srinagar, Nov 11: Condemning the Kulgam attack, National Conference president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah slammed the LG administration over the security situation in the union territory even as he prayed for the speedy recovery of injured CRPF jawans.
Hitting out at official assertions regarding peace in the region, the NC president said the LG administration, which holds primary responsibility for law and order, must be held accountable for the continued occurrences of violence despite public claims that terrorism has been eradicated.
Calling for a reassessment of the current strategy, Abdullah urged the administration to bridge existing gaps and establish a robust security mechanism by actively engaging local communities to prevent such tragedies from recurring.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, and Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Sat Sharma also condemned the terror attack on CRPF personnel in Kulgam district.
Mufti, a former chief minister, said such acts of violence were unacceptable and deserved unequivocal condemnation.
“JKPDP President Mehbooba Mufti strongly condemns the attack on CRPF personnel in Kulgam. Such acts of violence are unacceptable and deserve unequivocal condemnation,” the PDP said in a post on X.
She wished the injured personnel a speedy and complete recovery.
“There can be no place for violence in a society that yearns for lasting peace, stability and dignity,” she added.
J&K BJP president and MP Sat Sharma strongly condemned the attack, asserting that terrorism and its sponsors would face an uncompromising response from India.
He accused Pakistan of resorting to terrorism to divert the attention of the international community from its failures and mounting internal crises, saying such attempts would neither weaken India’s resolve nor intimidate its people.
“We condemn it. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there would be no tolerance for terrorism, no safe haven for terrorists and no escape for those threatening innocent lives,” Sharma said.
He asserted that the security forces were determined and capable of eliminating terrorists and dismantling their networks to ensure the safety of citizens.
Anyone daring to target innocent Indians would face the full strength of India’s security response, he said on the sidelines of an organisational meeting at the BJP headquarters in Jammu’s Trikuta Nagar.
J&K BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur, in a statement, described the incident as highly unfortunate and said it was an attempt to disturb peace and stability in the region.
He expressed solidarity with the security personnel, saying any attack on forces deployed to maintain peace and protect people was condemnable and unacceptable.
Thakur called on the Jammu and Kashmir Police to conduct a thorough investigation, identify the perpetrators and bring those involved to justice without delay.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir want peace, development and stability. Such acts of violence are aimed at creating fear and disturbing the peaceful atmosphere. Those responsible must be identified and dealt with firmly under the law,” he said.
