20 killed in four terror attacks in Kashmir
Mangalore Today News Network
Kashmir, Dec 05, 2014: Days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Srinagar, 20 people, including 8 army men were killed and atleast 11 were injured in a series of terror attacks.
Heavily armed militants attacked an army camp and a police checkpost, besides hurling a grenade at a posse of security personnel at three places. A smoke grenade also went off at a fourth place
Modi is to address an election rally in Srinagar on Monday. The state is in the midst of the five-phase assembly elections, with the next phase scheduled for December 9. The polls began on November 25 and will end on December 20, with the vote count to be held on December 23.
The initial two rounds of balloting in the violence-ridden state have seen heavy voter turnout, which has been described as a victory for democracy and the people’s answer to militants’ bullets. The terrorists have struck four days ahead of the third round of voting.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the terror attacks on Friday "once again show the desperate levels militants will go to to disrupt peace and normalcy". He described it as "a terrible day" and said in a tweet: "Four attacks and a number of deaths - security forces & innocent civilians killed in the valley today."
Eight army men, including a senior officer, and three policemen were killed on Friday battling a group of heavily armed militants who mounted an audacious attack on the army camp in Baramulla district. All the six rebels were killed.
Lt. Col. Sankalp Kumar and a junior commissioned officer were among the soldiers killed in the audacious pre-dawn terror attack that took place at the army’s Field Ordnance Camp located at Mohra near the border town of Uri.
The group of gunmen sneaked close to the army camp and struck at 3 a.m., but they met with stiff resistance at the main gate of the army camp. The sentries on duty heard the gunshots and challenged the rebels who were armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades.
An official said eight soldiers and three policemen were killed in the attack. There are differing accounts of whether the militants managed to enter the army camp.
An officer said that they did enter, but the attack was repulsed, while another said the gunfight was confined to the main gate of the camp.
The gun battle was now over, a senior police officer said.
Quick Response Teams (QRTs) were "rushed to the site after the militants attacked the camp. The militants opened fire at one of the QRT vehicles on the main road, killing an officer and two soldiers", the police officer said.
Even as the gun battle was dying down in Uri, a report came in of a terror attack on a police checkpost in Srinagar.