Pulwama attack: All jawans on bus feared dead, 20 bodies identified

Srinagar, Feb 14: Over 20 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and 35 injured in a major blast at Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district today. The IED explosion targetted a CRPF bus that was part of a larger convoy.

A Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the bus they were travelling in.The vehicle belonged to 54 battalion of the CRPF. The IED blast reduced the bus to a mangled heap of iron and body parts could be seen strewn around the area, the agency reported.

"There were 70 vehicles in the convoy and one of the vehicles came under attack. The convoy was on its way from Jammu to Srinagar," said CRPF (Operations) IG Zulfiqar Hassan adding that the Jammu and Kashmir police have taken over the investigation into the terror attack.

Militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for the blast and said it was a fidayeen attack carried out by a local youth. Police identified the terrorist as Adil Ahmad from Kakapora in Pulwama. He joined the Jaish-Mohammed in 2018, PTI quoted officials as saying.

The terrorists did not target the security car ahead of the bus. The plan was to only target the CRPF bus.

Jaish-e-Mohammad claims responsibility

The Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The police are also looking at whether any local support was provided.

Militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility for the blast and said it was a fidayeen attack carried out by a local youth. Police identified the terrorist as Adil Ahmad from Kakapora in Pulwama. He joined the Jaish-Mohammed in 2018, PTI quoted officials as saying.

Reports suggested that the incident occurred after alleged terrorists triggered the blast while the CRPF personnel were travelling in a vehicle through the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Pulwama attack is being described as one of the worst attack on the forces in recent times. In the Uri attack, the army has suffered the most number of deaths.

The 2016 Uri attack was an attack by four heavily armed militants on 18 September 2016, near the town of Uri in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. With 19 deaths, it was reported as "the deadliest attack on security forces in Kashmir in two decades".