Srinagar: Militants ambush security forces' convoy, 1 SSB jawan killed
Srinagar: One member of the Sashastra Seema Bal or SSB was killed and at least seven others were injured, after militants ambushed their convoy on the outskirts of Srinagar on Friday evening. Inspector General of the SSB, Deepak Kumar, said the attacked was repulsed but the searches in the area are underway.
Police sources here said that a small convoy of the SSB came under the sneak attack by militants at Zakura on the outskirts of Srinagar along the road to Ladakh at about 7.30 pm. The militants fired AK assault rifles to target the central security force personnel who were returning to their unit base after performing law and order duty in Srinagar city.
The SSB men on board the vehicle retaliated by returning fire but the militants reportedly fled the scene through a poplar and willow nursery. J&K police, CRPF and SSB reinforcements reached the spot and laid siege to a vast area to start searches. Ambulances were seen coming out of the area and going towards City's main hospital Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Media Sciences.
A resident said that the security forces cordoned a nearby cluster of residential houses. “They are very aggressive and are searching our houses minutely,” he said over the phone. He added that a police party from nearby Zakura police station has also arrived at the scene.
The ambush took place barely a couple of hours after the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir decided not only to step up security across the state but also to resume counterinsurgency operations on a major scale in the light of increasing number of militancy related incidents.
Further, the security in and around government buildings and other vital installations and the bases and camps of various security forces is being augmented.
The decision was taken at a meeting of senior officers of the Army, J&K police, the CRPF and Intelligence Bureau (IB) held at Raj Bhavan here on Friday in the backdrop of recent 57-hour long armed standoff between two holed up militants and the troops at Pampore near here.
The meeting called by Governor N.N.Vohra was attended by Northern Army Command chief Lt. Gen. DS Hooda, Director General of J&K Police, K. Rajendra Kumar, and GOC of Srinagar-based 15 Army Corps Lt. Gen, Satish Dua and the Inspectors General of the CRPF and its operational wing and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) head in J&K.
It was recalled at the meeting that after the Pathankot terror attack it had been decided at a similar meet held with the Governor in chair that a Multi Agency Security Audit (MASA) may be conducted by the State police in close collaboration with the IB, Central armed police forces, the Army, the Air Force and other concerned agencies.
“In this context, and in the background of the terror attacks at Poonch, Uri, Handwara and, most recently at Pampore, it was agreed that surveillance should be enhanced not only along the IB and LoC, as already done, but also in the entire hinterland, counter-terrorist operations should be resumed and, side by side, identified steps should be taken to safeguard and effectively ensure the safety and security of all civil and military vital installations and establishments in J&K,” a statement issued by Raj Bhavan here said.
