BSF camp near Srinagar airport attacked, ASI and three militants killed

Srinagar:  Security forces foiled an attempt by the Jaish-e-Mohammed to storm a BSF camp near the high- security Srinagar airport today, killing all three militants in an operation that also claimed the life of an assistant sub-inspector of the force, police said.

State Director General of Police S P Vaid said the three terrorists who had sneaked into the BSF camp had been “neutralised”. “We are carrying out search operations inside the premises to rule out the possibility of planting of explosives,” he said.

Officials in the know of developments said there was prior intelligence that a Jaish-e-Mohammed operative identified as ‘Noora Trali’ had brought in a suicide squad into the city. Briefing reporters later, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) Muneer Khan said the overground network of the terror group had been identified but did not divulge any further information.

Asked specifically whether Jaish-e-Mohammed was behind the attack, Khan said, “Such type of attacks have been carried out by this group only.”  Assistant Sub-Inspector B K Yadav was killed and three BSF jawans injured when the three militants entered the BSF battalion headquarters at Gogoland, adjacent to the airport.

The old airfield, being manned by the Indian Air Force, is also located in the area. Civilian air operations, which were suspended for nearly three hours in the morning, resumed at 10 am. “I personally went to the airport and ensured that the public does not face any problems in catching the aircraft,” Vaid said.

Piecing together the chain of events, police said militants entered the BSF’s 182 battalion headquarters through a damaged perimeter wall and started firing in all directions. Three BSF jawans were injured in the beginning of the attack and one militant killed in the retaliatory fire, a police official said. After this, the two remaining militants moved in different directions and took shelter in different buildings before being killed by security forces.

Yadav’s body was recovered during the mopping up operations. “Normal flight operations have resumed and passengers were boarding flights,” said Sharad Kumar, director, Airports Authority of India, Srinagar. The 182 battalion is entrusted with the security of the runway of the Srinagar airport. Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Pakistan-based terror outfit militant outfit, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

A caller identifying himself as spokesman of the outfit told local news gathering agencies that Jaish militants had carried out the attack.