Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and three terrorists of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) outfit died in a predawn suicide attack on a camp at lethpora near Pampore in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The standoff continued throughout the day on Sunday resulting into heavy casualties.
The atrocious attack marked the conclusion of 2017 that left a trail of blood and mayhem in Kashmir with hundreds of terrorists, security personnel and civilians falling prey to the violence, highest in a decade in the region.
Officials said that at least three heavily armed terrorists of the Jaish outfit hurled grenades around 2 am before forcing entry into 185 battalion camp of the CRPF at lethpora plateau, a highway village situated between Pampore and Awantipora towns, around 25 kilometres south from here in Pulwama district. The site of the attack is barely five kilometres from Samboora where security forces killed JeM ‘divisional commander’ Noor Trali on December 26. Two terrorists who escaped cordon in Samboora are suspected to have been involved in the attack.
Police chief Shesh Paul Vaid said that the security forces had input about a possible suicide attack in the area.
Sources said the suicide attackers forced entry into the fortified enclave with concrete fencing and away from the inhabited area in the dead of night amid sub-zero temperatures. The sentry on duty opened fire on the infiltrators that led to a prolonged stand-off. At least six troopers received bullet injuries in the first bout of fire. Three of them succumbed at Army’s base hospital during the day while another trooper is said to have died due to cardiac arrest. later in the evening, when flush-out operation was intensified, fifth CRPF man received bullet injuries and died.
Three injured soldiers were rushed to a hospital where they are said to be stable.
The official sources said after entering into the security camp, the terrorists took positions in one of the four blocks constructed a decade ago for officers, allied staff and trainees at the centre meant for training anti-insurgency troopers. A portion of the camp is used by the State police.
The main building at the camp comprises three blocks. The first block is used to accommodate the families of officers. The third block housing hospital and control room was taken over by terrorists, sources said.
In a statement, the CRPF said there was a possibility of similar attacks on other camps. Inspector General of CRPF Ravideep Sahi also corroborated Vaid’s statement that there were Intelligence inputs about attacks on “security installations”.
The attack occurred at the culmination of 2017, the year security forces claimed to have regained sway over the security situation in Kashmir by killing more than 200 terrorists including several top-ranking commanders of JeM, lashkar-e-Tayyeba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
However, the lethpora attack seems to be linked with the killing of top JeM commander Noor Muhammad Tantray alias Noor Trali, a dwarf militant who played pivotal role in reviving the outfit in south Kashmir. Trali was killed in an encounter last week and his outfit issued a threat to avenge his killing. Sources said that at least two terrorists accompanying Trali at Samboora had fled the cordon. The security forces conducted several cordon and search operations in the area to track them down.
The lethpora attack has similarities with an attack on police complex in Pulwama in August that resulted into death of eight security personnel. Noor Trali was described to be the mastermind of Pulwama attack.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has condemned the killing of CRPF personnel in lerthpora attack.
Terming the act as dastardly, the Chief Minister said violence has taken a heavy toll on the society in the State in terms of death and destruction, tearing apart the social fabric, inflicting massive economic, academic and social losses besides the irreparable loss of human lives.
The Chief Minister paid rich tributes to the CRPF jawans killed in the attack. She also conveyed her sympathies to the bereaved families.
Meanwhile, the police chief at a Press conference said that police have succeeded in weaning back around 70 youngsters from the ranks of terrorism.
He said fight against terrorism would continue till a lasting peace is restored in the State.
“Our priority would also be to bring the local youth back on the right path. With the collective efforts of parents, civil society and J&K Police, we have been able to wean 70 youth including budding sports talent from joining the terrorism,” Vaid said.
The DGP said 206 terrorists, 85 locals and 121 foreigners were killed in 2017. He said almost the entire terrorist leadership was also killed this year.
He said at least 31 police personnel were also killed in 2017 and as many as 24 civilians lost their lives during encounters.
