SRINAGAR: In a major strike on the eve of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit, militants opened fire on Monday at an Army convoy at Hyderpora bypass on the outskirts of the city, killing four jawans and injuring seven others.
An Army officer confirmed the casualties to Times Now.
Four soldiers of the 35 Rashtriya Rifles are dead while seven are wounded, some critically. Two sub-inspectors of the Jammu and Kashmir police have been injured in the attack which comes just a day before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s two-day visit to the Valley.
Meanwhile, Pakistan-based banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed the responsibility for the attack.
The convoy was fired at from both sides of the road near Classic Hospital this evening, police said, adding that the militants fired over a dozen rounds.
Three jawans sustained bullet wounds in the attack and their condition was ‘critical’, police said.
Militants fled from the spot in a tinted car. A motorcycle, possibly used by the ultras, has been recovered.
Army troops immediately cordoned off the area and a massive hunt has been launched to nab the militants involved in the attack, police said.
Today’s attack comes two days after Hizbul Mujahideen militants gunned down two policemen in the heart of Srinagar city.
PMO sources in Delhi said that there was no change in Singh’s programme.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to reach here tomorrow along with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on a two-day visit, during which he is expected to announce a package for border districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh and Gandhi will also launch train service on a railway section between Qazigund in Kashmir and Banihal in Jammu region that will provide an all-weather link to the Valley.
Source: Times of India
