SRINAGAR: At least 44 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and dozens injured in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Death toll in the Pulwama’s Awantipora terror attack is expected to rise, police officials said.
The incident took place when some 2,540 CRPF personnel were coming in a convoy of 78 vehicles from the transit camp in Jammu and headed to Srinagar.
The bus was carrying 51 CRPF personnel when a Mahindra Scorpio, packed with 300kg of explosives and driven by a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber, rammed into it in the town of Awantipora in Kashmir.
Terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed has taken the responsibility of the attack. IED blast was followed by gunshots in Goripora area of Awantipora.
J&K police had shared an intelligence input, uploaded on a private twitter account a couple of days back, with all security agencies in which Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed had threatened to carry out the suicide attack on security forces, officials said Thursday.
“Attack on CRPF personnel in Pulwama is despicable. I strongly condemn this dastardly attack. The sacrifices of our brave security personnel shall not go in vain. The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the families of the brave martyrs. May the injured recover quickly,” PM Modi tweeted.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, says,”The attack was carried out by Pakistan backed Jaish e Mohammed. A strong reply will be given and I assure the people of the country this.”Rajnath Singh will also be travelling to Srinagar on Friday to take stock of the situation.
I’m deeply disturbed by the cowardly attack on a CRPF convoy in J&K in which many of our brave CRPF men have been martyred and a large number wounded, some critically. My condolences to the families of our martyrs. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured, Rahul Gandhi tweeted.