Pampore: Encounter Ends After 56 Hours, 2 Terrorists Killed
A gunshot was heard from within the premises of JKEDI, local media reports quoting an Army officer.
- The encounter came to an end after 56 hours, with two terrorists being gunned down and two weapons being recovered.
- Encounter entered the third day as security forces stepped up the counter attack against militants.
- Two terrorists have been gunned down in the encounter.
- J&K Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) in Sempora area of Pampore caught fire, gunshots heard.
- Two-three militants holed up inside the govt building. Possibly one or two security guards are also there, said CRPF officials.
- A soldier and a policeman were injured during the encounter.
- Due to the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, the building was largely unoccupied, local media reports.
After 3 Days, the Encounter Comes to an End
A three-day battle between security forces and terrorists holed up in the EDI building ended on Wednesday with the death of two militants, the army announced.
In an address to the media, Major General Ashok Narula, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Victor Force, said that the operation took time because there were 60 rooms in the building and all of them had to be cleared, including the bathrooms.
The security forces had to be careful as there were possibilities of civilians being present inside the building.
The forces did not want any collateral damage which is why they had to be careful in the operation.
General Narula also added that the terrorists could be from Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Militants had targeted the EDI building in February this year as well. Five security force personnel including two young army officers and a civilian employee of the Institute and three militants were killed in that operation which lasted 48 hours.
Pampore Encounter Enters Third Day, Two Militants Killed
The operation to flush out holed up militants inside a government building in Pampore on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway entered the third day as security forces continued to pound the multi-storey structure with mortars and rockets to bring it down.
Two terrorists have been gunned down in the EDI building encounter in Pampore, while one terrorist is still suspected to be holed up inside the building.
The operation has been now going on for 54 hours as most parts of the concrete building have been reduced to a skeleton after many of its walls were blown up.
Elite Para commandos of the army have also been called in to neutralise the militants but the security personnel are not rushing in to the building to avoid casualties, the officials said.
Encounter Continues on Tuesday
Earlier, loud explosions were heard early on Tuesday morning as security forces stepped up the counter attack against militants holed up in a government building in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pampore.
Loud explosions were heard till 1am in the night and again at 5:30am on Tuesday morning.
"Operation against the holed up militants has been resumed. Floodlights were used during the night to ensure that the militants were prevented from escaping under the cover of darkness," a senior police official said.
Rockets and heavy automatic gunfire were used on Tuesday morning to engage the militants.
On Monday, security forces battled a group of heavily-armed militants sheltered inside a government building, firing incendiary material that sparked a fire in the complex.
Militants Don't Wan't Young Kashmiris to Stand on Their Own Two Feet: Omar Abdullah
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah took to Twitter on Monday to denounce the attack on the JKEDI complex.
In a series of tweets he said that the militants targeting the EDI complex twice in a span of one year is proof that they do not want the youth of Kashmir to become self-sufficient.
A Soldier and Policeman Injured in the Encounter
A soldier and a policeman were injured as the militants fired from inside the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Institute (JKEDI).
However, as per a report published in Greater Kashmir, one of the injuries was caused due to a misfire from the soldier’s own rifle.
Terrorists Used Boats to Reach JKEDI Building
Terrorists, who attacked the JKEDI building, reached the campus which lies on the outskirts of Srinagar using boats on River Jhelum, reports NDTV.
Army Chief Briefs Defence Minister
Army Chief, General Dalbir Singh Suhag, has briefed the Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, on the attack on the EDI building in Pampore.
Multiple Militants Trapped in JKEDI Complex: Police
Earlier, police said a group of 2-3 militants were trapped inside a building of the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) complex near Pampore town of Pulwama district.
Due to the ongoing unrest in Kashmir, the building was largely unoccupied, local media reports.
Second Attack on EDI Building in a Year
JKEDI, on the outskirts of Srinagar, is the site of an encounter that took place earlier this year.
In similar scenes in February this year, militants and security forces sparred at the premises – it lasted for more than 48 hours.
The 48-hour-long gunfight saw six people, including five security personnel, killed, while security forces said they killed three guerrillas hiding in the JKEDI complex.
The JKEDI building in Sempora area of Pampore on the outskirts of the city caught fire this morning, a police official said.
A gunshot was heard from within the premises of JKEDI, local media reports quoted an Army officer saying.
Fire tenders were rushed to the spot, but they were not allowed to enter the building due to security reasons, the official said.
(With agency Inputs)
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