Anantnag: In a deadliest attack in recent past, militants Friday killed six policemen, including a Station House Officer (SHO), in an ambush near health resort of Achabal in South Kashmir.
Police said the attack was apparently in retaliation to killing of a wanted militant commander, Junaid Mattu, who died fighting armed forces at a nearby village in the morning.
Preliminary reports suggest a large group of militants ambushed police vehicles at Tajwar village when they were heading to Achabal in Anantnag district Friday afternoon.
According to the Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Muneer Khan, the policemen were travelling from Anantnag town to Achabal police station and militants ambushed the vehicle at Thanjiwara village.
The six cops killed in the attack included Station Head Feroz Dar, four constables and an SPO.
Two civilians were also injured during the attack and both them were being treated in the district hospital.
The militants reportedly after lobbing a grenade resorted to indiscriminate firing, killing all the six policemen on board. One report said that the militants also took away weapons of the slain cops with them after the attack.
Reinforcements were rushed to the area soon afterwards, DGP said.
Lashker-e-Taiba is believed to be behind the attack, a senior police official said, adding they apparently wanted to take revenge of the Arwani encounter in which their local commander Junaid Mattu is believed to have died.
Lashkar-e-Taiba spokesman Abdullh Gaznavi meanwhile rang up local news agency CNS in Srinagar and claimed responsibility for the attack.
It bears mention that there has been a sudden escalation in the attacks on Jammu and Kashmir Police.
On Thursday, two J&K policemen Shabir Ahmed Dar and Shahzad Dilawar Sofi were killed when targeted with gunfire by militants in Bogund village of southern Kulgam district and Hyderpora locality on Srinagar outskirts, respectively. A third policeman was injured in one of these attacks.
Earlier militants launched wave of attacks on government forces across Kashmir Valley on Tuesday. The day coincided with the anniversary of Battle of Badr fought and won by early Muslims in the time of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh).
Militants carried out five grenade attacks at the security forces’ camps and foot patrols in southern Pulwama district, Sopore in North and Srinagar city, leaving over a dozen personnel injured.
The Achabal ambush also comes only two days after Lashkar warned local policemen to quit and join the militant ranks.
Lashkar commander Abu Ukasha in a video message had warned J&K policemen to join militant ranks for the ‘Kashmir cause.’ “Why do you want win applause from (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi for killing your own brothers. You have to live and die with us only,” he said.
Earlier several policemen have been killed in similar circumstances and the trend increased after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. The homes of several policemen were vandalised by crowds after separatist groups named some officers, accusing them of killings and harassing people.
In March and April this year, the Valley had witnessed a series of militant attacks at policemen and their families following which the police department had issued an advisory asking its field personnel to avoid visiting their homes “for the next few months”.
Mehbooba anguished
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has expressed “deep anguish” over the killing of two civilians and as many policemen across Kashmir valley during the past 24 hours.
In a statement, the Chief Minister said she has reiterated it time and again that violence and innocent killings would lead the State only to a cobweb bloodletting and destruction and uncertainty rather than paving the way for any peaceful solution.
Mehbooba said she has been warning of the dangerous consequences of violence time and again and appealed the civil society to rise to the occasion to make the future of JK’s younger generation peaceful.
She conveyed her sympathies to the bereaved families.