Posted on 05/19/2002 3:12:05 PM PDT by swarthyguy
: In stepped-up attacks on security forces, the terrorists targeted three camps of army and para-military CRPF and blasted a BSF and a CRPF vehicle in four separate incidents across Udhampur and Doda districts since last evening killing six security personnel and wounding 13 others including a BSF Inspector. A fidayeen was also killed in one of the retaliatory strikes by army.
Two camps of army and CRPF, located close to each other, were attacked by three fidayeens at Chasana in Mahore tehsil of this district while another camp of 17 Rashtriya Rifles came under the terrorists’ firing in Nowgam, Banihal under Doda district. A Gypsy of BSF’s 24 battalion was blasted by the ultras with a remote controlled IED in Sudh Mahadev town while a CRPF vehicle of 41 battalion was blasted late this evening at Sorabati in Kishtwar.
Official sources said three fidayeens, suspected to be Pakistanis of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit, attacked two camps of army and CRPF at Chasana in Mahore, bordering Budhal tehsil of Rajouri district, at 0410 hours today. Army and CRPF jawans retaliated.
The terrorists used AK-47 rifles, Rocket Projectile Guns (RPGs) and Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGLs) in the attacks, the sources said, adding that army and CRPF personnel quickly retaliated.
According to sources, the exchange of firing lasted about half an hour in which three army soldiers and a CRPF jawan were killed and seven other security personnel were injured. In retaliatory firing, one of the fidayeens also fell to the bullets of troops while two others managed to escape.
Injured army and CRPF personnel were evacuated from Chasana and shifted to Military Hospital in Budhal where condition of two of them was stated to be serious.
Enforcement of army and CRPF rushed to the scene of attack. A search operation has been launched in upper reaches of Chasana and Budhal, where the fidayeens were suspected to be hiding after the attack. Body of one of the terrorists, killed in the cross-firing, has been recovered but not identified so far. He was stated to be a foreign mercenary. From the site of encounter, security forces have recovered some arms and explosive material, the sources said.
Identity of killed and injured jawans was not disclosed by the Defence authorities immediately. Bodies of the killed soldiers were being sent to their native towns.
Sources said a large number of terrorists, mostly Pakistanis and Afghanis, were hiding in upper reaches of Chasana and Mahore and were in possession of sophisticated weaponry. This was, however, the first major fidayeen strike on an army camp in Chasana by the terrorists in which four security personnel were killed. Security arrangements were being intensified in Chasana and Mahore in anticipation of more such strikes, they added.
Meanwhile, another group of terrorists opened firing on an army camp of 17 Rashtriya Rifles at Nowgam under jurisdiction of Banihal police station in Doda district at 2330 hours last night. Troops replied the firing.
An army jawan Sepoy Murgeshwar was killed in the attack. Effective retaliatory firing brought down by the troops forced the terrorists to flee within 15 minutes of the attack, the sources said.
A search operation was launched in the area by army this morning. An operation to flush out the terrorists were going on but no major success had been made in eliminating or apprehending them so far, they said.
Terrorists detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) with a remote control device under a BSF Gypsy No. 4225 JK02J in Sudh Mahadev town at 1330 hours today. The Gypsy was blown up under impact of the blast, which was said to be very powerful.
A BSF Inspector and three other jawans including driver of the Gypsy, who were travelling in the vehicle, were seriously injured. Police and BSF officers reached Sudh Mahadev and laid a cordon in the village. Injured were shifted to Military Hospital in Udhampur in serious condition.
They have been identified as Inspector M D Farooq, Som Bahadur, driver of the Gypsy, Khem Ram and Dulla Mani Porh, both constable. They were heading towards a BSF camp after patrolling in the village when their vehicle fell to a booby trap, laid by the terrorists.
During searches carried out by BSF and police after the blast, they came across another powerful IED, laid under the same road by the terrorists at Gowkan, near Sudh Mahadev town. Bomb experts reached Gowkan and defused the IED after about 20 minutes operation. Another catastrophe was averted with detection of the IED, the sources said.
A CRPF vehicle of 41 battalion was also blasted by the terrorists with an IED late this evening at village Sorabati, about 35 kms from Kishtwar in Doda district. A CRPF head constable S P Singh died on spot in the explosion.
Two other jawans including Tipan Kumar, CRPF constable and a Special Police Officer (SPO) Vijay Kumar were seriously injured in the blast. They have been shifted to hospital.
CRPF and police parties have rushed to the spot and launched a search operation in Sorabati village to track down the terrorists instrumental in planting and detonating the IED.
Sounds like the war is unoffically starting to flare up.
Thoughts?
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