Terror strikes: At least 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed on February 14, 2019 when a convoy in which they were travelling was attacked near Awantipora on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway. A suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into one of the convoy’s buses. It was the deadliest attack in terms of casualties in three decades of militancy in the State.About 2,500 personnel of the 92, 17 and 54 battalions of the CRPF were travelling to the Valley at the time of the ambush.

The injured are carried in an ambulance from Lethpora in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.   | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Home Minister Rajnath Singh blamed the “Pakistan-based, Pakistan-backed” elements for the “dastardly” attack. On February 15, 2019, the Indian government withdrew the Most Favoured Nation status given to Pakistan in 1996. Agencies said this move will hurt Pakistan’s exports to India which stood at $488.5 million in 2017-18. Pictures show the damaged CRPF bus at the site of the attack in Pulwama district, and the injured being carried to hospital.