CRPF convoy attacked by terrorists in Kashmir; 18 jawans killed, many injured
Eighteen CRPF jawans were killed and many others injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast at Lethpora on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.
INDIA Updated: Feb 14, 2019 17:04 IST
HT Correspondent
New Delhi/Srinagar
At least 18 Central Reserve Police Force jawans were killed and many others injured in a blast in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. The blast was triggered by militants to target two vehicles carrying the CRPF jawans. The blast ripped through one of the buses the jawans were travelling in.
The vehicle belonged to 54 battalion of the CRPF. Militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for the blast and said it was a fidayeen attack carried out by a local youth. The IED blast reduced the bus to a mangled heap of iron, news agency PTI reported.
The incident took place at Lethpora, about 30 km from Srinagar on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. Jammu and Kashmir police spokesperson has confirmed that it was an improvised explosive device (IED) blast.The explosion was followed by gunshots aimed at the security forces in Pulwama district of the state.
A CRPF convoy was targeted by the militants, who set off the IED bomb fitted in a vehicle in the Awantipora area of the district. The convoy that came under the attack was on its way from Jammu to Srinagar.
The IED was placed in an autorickshaw, which was parked on the national highway, which is guarded by the CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir police and the army. The security forces have begun a search operation.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah called the attack a “reminiscent” of pre-2004 days in the Valley. “Jaish has claimed the blast as a suicide (fidaeen) attack reminiscent of the dark days of militancy pre-2004-05,” Abdullah wrote on Twitter adding, “I condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. My prayers for the injured & condolences to the families of the bereaved.”
PDP chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also condemned the terror attack in Pulwama. She said, “No words are enough to condemn the gruesome terror attack. How many more lives will be snuffed out before this madness ends?”