Six officials were killed in a militant attack in Anantnag district of Jammu & Kashmir on Friday evening. The terrorists reportedly targeted a police patrolling party in Thajiwara village. The attack also left three other cops injured. The terrorists also mutilated the faces of the policemen.
“Six policemen including an SHO Feroz Ahmad martyred in Anantnag terror attack. Promise you Feroz, we’ll wipe out the whole killer terror gang,” (sic) tweeted Imtiyaz Hussain, Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla.
Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based insurgent outfit, claimed responsibility for the attack. All six cops, including station house officer Feroz Ahmed Dar, were confirmed dead.
“It is an unfortunate incident to have lost six men, including sub-inspector Feroz, a resident of Pulwama. Their contribution to the police service will be remembered,” director general of police SP Vaid said.
The assault was carried out hours after a counter-terror operation by security forces in Kulgam. The operation led to the elimination of three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists. Among those killed, include Junaid Mattoo, Muzammil and Arshad Malik. Mattoo had gunned down two policemen in Anantnag last year.
“It seems to be a revenge attack. After surrounding their vehicle, the terrorists fired indiscriminately. Later, they snatched their weapons,” an officer said, reported DNA.
A civilian, identified as Mohammed Ashraf, was also killed in the clash between forces and militants earlier in the day.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley recently said that forces would take stern action against those attempting to fuel the insurgency. “As far as the common people of Kashmir are concerned, we want to provide them a peaceful and prosperous life. But for militants – there will be no soft approach. We will deal with them in a brutal manner, especially those who land here from the other side of the border,” Jaitley had said.
