Srinagar, As many as 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were martyred in a fidayeen attack by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant outfit at Awantipora in south Kashmir district of Pulwama on Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Thursday afternoon.
However, local media has reported that 44 jawans were killed in the attack. Militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Official sources told UNI that militants rammed an IED-laden vehicle into a vehicle carrying CRPF at Goripora, Awantipora on Thursday afternoon.
They said 12 CRPF personnel were killed on the spot and 32 others were wounded after the vehicle was blown up. “The injured were immediately taken to Army’s 92 base hospital,” they said, adding 28 more jawans succumbed at the hospital.
They said that the death toll could increase as the condition of some other jawans in critical. Security forces have been put on high alert in view of the IED blast. They said the ‘Fidayeen’ has been identified as Adil Ahmad, a resident of Kakapora in Pulwama.
Meanwhile, Advisor to Governor, K Vijay Kumar said JeM has claimed the responsibility of the attack and also released the photograph of the militant. “Forensic experts have been rushed to the spot and other details will be released after investigation,” he added.
He said militants are frustrated by the causalities they have incurred in the last about one year. “…that is the reason they carried out such attack,” he said.