Srinagar: In what could be termed one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, a Jaish suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with over 100 kg of explosives into a bus carrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Pulwama district yesterday. 37 CRPF personnel were killed and five injured in the incident.
In a statement issued, the CRPF headquarters in Delhi said, “We regret to inform that 37 personnel attained martyrdom and five personnel were injured in the ID blast at Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir. The injured are being treated at the 92 base hospital of the Army in Srinagar.”
The ambushed took place around 3.15 pm yesterday evening, when a convoy of 78 vehicles carrying over 2,500 personnel was travelling on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir.
The suicide bomber was identified as Adil Ahmed, who had joined the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in 2018. The terror group has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.
The bomber driving a SUV carrying 350 kg of explosives was on the wrong side of the road and hit the bus head on. There were no survivors from the bus and officials were yet to ascertain exactly how many people were on board, said an official report.
A gory scene ensued after the strong blast. Reports said doctors were unable to give the exact number of deaths as the bodies were dismembered and mutilated.
Today the Cabinet Committee on Security will meet to discuss the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, said reports.
Reacting to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the attack was despicable and that the sacrifices of security personnel will not go in vain.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in a statement said the government would foil the designs of those who want to disrupt peace through such a terror attack which is sponsored and sheltered by Pakistan. He said that the government would undertake whatever it takes to avenge the deaths.
Many political leaders condemned the attack. Congress president Rahul Gandhi said he was deeply disturbed by the cowardly attack on the convoy in which so many CRPF men were killed.
BJP chief Amit Shah described the terror strike as an act of cowardice and asserted that security forces will defeat those involved in terrorist activities. He also said he was said that he was pained beyond words.
In 2001, strike took place on the Legislative Assembly in Kashmir. 41 people, including three suicide attackers, were killed in the incident. The Commando Training Centre at Lethpora was stormed by Jaish militants on 31 December in 2017, in which five CRPF personnel were killed.
In a militant attack at Pampore in June 2016, eight jawans were killed and 22 others sustained injuries. In an attack on the Uri military base in September 2016, Jaish militants killed 18 Army jawans and injured dozens of others.
Today a team of National Investigation Agency and National Security Guards left for Kashmir to assist in the investigation. Since the Uri attack in 2016, yesterday’s incident has been termed as one of the worst terror attacks in the recent past.