Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 14: A para-military Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel was killed and 8 others including a police man were injured, three of them critically, in a militant ambush in Srinagar this evening.
A senior police officer said that a group of militants fired at the SSB party in Zakura area in the outskirts of Srinagar city killing one SSB personnel and injuring 8 others including a police man.
Militants attacked the SSB vehicles and fled away from the spot leaving eight SSB personnel and their driver from India Reserve Police (IRP) 13-battalion, Zulfikar Ahmad, injured.
The injured were removed to SKIMS hospital in Srinagar where one of the SSB personnel, Gansham, succumbed to his injuries. Zulfikar is stated to be critical and he is being operated upon.
The seven SSB personnel have been shifted to 92-Base Hospital of Army at Badami Bagh Cantonment. Two SSB personnel are stated to be critical.
Police and para-military security forces immediately reached the spot and launched massive searches in the area against the militants responsible for the attack. However, they had fled from the area after carrying out the attack.
The attack comes two days after two militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were killed in 56-hour long operation by Police, Army and Special Forces of Army in the outskirts of Srinagar in Pampore area. These militants were holed up in a multi-storey building of Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) in Pampore.
Security forces are on high alert in Srinagar following inputs that militants are planning to carry out Fidayeen attack. However, over the past few weeks security forces have been conducting frisking of vehicles to foil the Fidayeen attack.
The security forces over the past few weeks have conducted searches of hotels and high rise building in city Centre Lal Chowk and other parts of Civil Line areas. The security around vital military, police and Government installations have been intensified to foil any militant attack.
Meanwhile, Governor NN Vohra today held a security review meeting with heads of various security agencies including Northern Army chief.
The meeting agreed that surveillance should be enhanced not only along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) but also in the entire State to safeguard and effectively ensure the safety and security of all civil and military vital installations and establishments in troubled State.
The meeting was attended by Northern Army Commander, Lt General HS Hooda, Director General of Police, K Rajendra Kumar, GOC 15 Corps Lt General SK Dua, Principal Secretary to Governor, IG CRPF, IG, (Ops) CRPF and Intelligence Bureau heads in the State.
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