Srinagar , 14- Dec: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir range Vijay Kumar said that three militants of Jaish-e-Muhammad including two foreigners wanted to carry weapon snatching by attacking the armed forces’ bus with 25 personnel onboard at Zewan in outskirts of Srinagar.Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a wreath laying ceremony of slain cops in Srinagar, the IGP Kashmir said that the bus with 25 jawans onboard was attacked three kilometres prior to camp in the darkness by three militants, two of them foreigners and one local, who fired indiscriminately at the bus in which our 14 jawans got injured. Three of them succumbed later,” he added.He said that their “aim was to carryout weapon snatching but our jawans effectively retaliated and as such there was not even single weapon snatched.”Asked About the measures taken by police to prevent such attacks, IGP Kumar said police are maintaining high alert and cops requiring travel from one place to another will be provided bullet proof vehicles. “The attackers had done recee or the area and the attack took place when Road Opening Parties of security forces were withdrawn,” he said.The militants succeeded in escaping towards Khrew and Tral,” he said, adding, “We are tracking them and very soon this group will be neutralized.”Police in a statement issued late last night said that the attack was carried out by three militants of “Kashmir Tigers” which it said is an “offshoot” of Jash-e-Mohammad. ‘Preliminary investigation has revealed that three (militants) had fired indiscriminately upon a police vehicle carrying police personnel of 9th Battalion near Zewan Pantha Chowk area of Srinagar,” a police spokesperson had said, adding, “The police party were coming back to their campus after finishing their duties.” Although the fire was retaliated, he said, militants however taking advantage of darkness managed to escape from the spot. “Credible sources revealed that the attack was carried by Kashmir Tigers, an offshoot of JeM. In the retaliatory firing, one of the militants got injured and the group involved in this attack will be soon brought to justice,” the statement read.The three personnel killed in the attack include Assistant Sub Inspector Ghulam Hassan of Top Neel Bharthand Ramban, Safique Ali (Sgct) of Mamakoti Mahore in Reasi district and Constable Rameez Ahmad son of Mohammad Amin of Yachama Ganderbal.The injured police personnel include Sajad Ahmad of Hariparigam Tral Pulwama, Bishmber Dass of Rabta Jammu, Sanjay Kumar of Dhanera rajouri, Vikas Sharma, Abdul Majeed of Sangiiwani Rajpora Pulwama, Mudasir Ahamd of Panner Tral, Ravi Kanth of Heranagar Kathua, Showkat Ali of Hadrdumir Tral, Arshid Mohammad of badibrahmana Jammu, Liyaqat Ali of Mohichak Kathua, and Narinder Singh (driver of the bus). Besides one constable Adil has received minor
