2 jawans hurt in J&K battle

Smoke billowing out of the multi-storied government building, where some militants were holed up during a gunbattle with the Army at Pampore. (Photo: PTI)

Two security men were wounded in a fierce gunbattle with militants holed up in a multi-storeyed government building at Pampore near Srinagar, eight months after a three-day standoff in the same complex left three Army officials, as many terrorists and a civilian dead.

This is the latest in a string of attacks since India conducted a military operation across the Line of Control (LOC) to avenge a deadly attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists in Uri last month, heightening tension between the two nuclear armed neighbours. The operation against “at least three” militants hiding in the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Develo-pment Institute (JKEDI) since Monday morning, was suspended at nightfall to avoid casualties among security forces.

Floodlights and other equipment are being used to prevent the militants from escaping. Security personnel have been asked to stay positioned behind the broad-beamed high-intensity lights to avoid being targeted by the militants.

Security forces used improvised explosive devices, mortar bombs, light machine guns and small arms to flush out the militants firing intermittently.

The building suffered damages and flames and thick smoke could be seen billowing from it. Army sources said that two-to-three floors of the 7-storeyed building had been ‘sanitized’ before the operation was put on hold.

One Army jawan and a J&K policeman were injured, police sources said. But the Army only confirmed injuries to one of its soldiers. The militants, who may have used a boat to cross the Jhelum from one bank to the other before occupying the EDI building, have taken positions inside the main block.

On February 20, ten CRPF jawans were wounded in a militant ambush on a force convoy just outside the JKEDI campus. The militants had then fled into the campus leading to a gun battle. A gardener at the campus had died in crossfire. Three Army officials and as many militants had been killed as the standoff ended on February 22. The Army had then fired mortar bombs and rockets on building.

The JKEDI being a huge complex with overwhelming concrete blocks, it took the security forces more than 48 hours to neutralise the holed-up militants. This could be a reason why militants have chosen the campus again.

The JKEDI which trains and finances young men and women to be entrepreneurs and other such institutions have remained shut for more than three months in the ongoing spiral of protests and violence since the encounter killing of a militant commander.