M A I N   N E W S

4 Army men, 2 militants killed
Lashkar attack on Army camp
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 4
At least four Army personnel, including two JCOs, were killed and eight injured when militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Toiba attacked their camp in Baramula, about 60 km from here, early this morning. Two militants involved in the attack were also killed in the exchange of fire that ensued.

The police said the militants attacked a camp of the Army at Azad Gunj, near Baramula town, with rockets and automatic weapons around 4 a.m. today. The troops retaliated, killing both militants involved in the attack in a gunbattle that lasted about two hours. Two militants intruded into the camp area after cutting the barbed wire amid rocket and grenade attack, reports said.

Those killed have been identified as Subedars Tara Chand and Shri Ram, Lance Naik Gandhi Ram and Rifleman Surinder Singh. Eight injured in the incident have been admitted to various hospitals for treatment.

A Lashkar spokesman told local media that slain Hafiz Abu Amar and Abu Hamza were “fidayeen”, or members of the organisation’s suicide squad.

He claimed militants of his group had also stormed another camp at Khanpost in the Surankota area of the Poonch district late last night.

Today’s attack is the first of its kind by the militants after the extension of the unilateral ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir since February 26. It comes two days after the militants ambushed a police party, killing at least 17 personnel in Rajouri district.

The decision to extend the unilateral ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir for the third time after it was first started on November 28 last with the commencement of the holy month of Ramazan was taken on February 22 by the Central Government.

While on the two previous occasions, the ceasefire was extended for a month, the government decided to extend the same for a longer term of three months this time. This, according to the government, was to initiate peace process in the state, even as the militants had increased attacks on police and security personnel.

Several militant organisations have rejected the ceasefire offer while the All-Party Hurriyat Conference has welcomed the step and offered to visit Pakistan for talks with the leadership there. The Hurriyat leaders’ scheduled Pakistan visit for January 15 last has been stalled due to the non-availability of the passports to some of its leaders. It had constituted a team of five executive members, excluding its chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat, and JKLF chief Mohammad Yasin Malik to visit Pakistan.

The militant organisations which have rejected the ceasefire offer have made two major attacks in the valley during the past two months. The first major attack was made when a group of six Fidayeen militants made an unsuccessful attempt to enter the highly guarded Srinagar Airport on January 16 last. The second attack was made when a similar attempt was made at the highly guarded Police Control Room here.