June 18, 2020
Amid intermittent firing from the holed up militants
Army sources here said that two to three floors of the 7-storeyed
building had already been 'sanitized' before the operation was put on hold at
nightfall. Also, the paramilitary forces personnel and the members of the CRPF
and J&K police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) joined
them to encircle the campus.Smoke seen emanating from the govt building where
the standoff is still on. Officials said that the fire tenders were rushed to
the area from Srinagar and Pampore but they were not allowed to enter the
building due to security reasons."A boat believed to have been used by
terrorists to cross the river from Rakh Shalina side to Sempora has been seized
and its owner detained for questioning," a police officer who spoke on the
condition of anonymity said. Amid intermittent firing from the holed up
militants, the security forces used Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Mortar
bombs, Light Machine Guns and small arms in their attempt to flush out the
militants but it did not yield the desired result. However, all the security
personnel involved in the operation were asked to stay positioned behind these
broad-beamed high intensity lights to avoid being seen and targeted by the
militants.The Army which is being assisted by other security forces fired
mortars and other projectiles to eliminate the militants.(This story first
appeared in Deccan Chronicle).In the initial exchange of fire, a soldier was
injured in foot. Heavy exchange of fire continued between the two sides till the
night fall. "It is an inch-by-inch and step-by-step kind of control-gaining
operation to avoid casualties as the militants are well positioned inside the
building," said one of the officers.The operation to flush out the militants was
suspended at nigh fall on Monday to avoid casualties and was resumed with the
first light on Tuesday. Security forces launched a fresh offensive against
militants, who have taken up positions in upper floors of the main block of the
Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI).The building
suffered damage in the firing and shelling and flames and thick smoke could be
seen billowing from it from about 500 yards where reporters were stopped by the
Army and police officials. (Photo: DC/H U Naqash)Meanwhile, security forces have
seized the boat which was reportedly used by the militants to cross River Jhelum
from one bank to the other before entering the JKEDI campus. (Photo: DC/ H U
Naqash)The Army’s Special Forces rushed to the spot from nearby Badami Bagh
cantonment where the headquarters of 15 (Chinar) Corps are located.Since the
JKEDI like other institutions is closed for more than three months because of
the unrest triggered by the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahedin commander Burhan
Muzaffar Wani, no student or faculty or staff member was present when the
militants barged into the campus at about 6. There were, however, no fire
tenders around, witnesses said.Security forces near the scene of gunbattle. A
similar standoff at the campus had led to the killing of three Army officials
and an equal number of militants in fighting about eight months ago.The
officials said that after getting inside the campus, the militants set on fire a
few mattresses inside a hostel room to attract the attention of the security
forces including a road-opening-party who arrived within minutes of the smoke
emanating from the building.Before suspending operation at the night fall on
Monday, floodlights and other equipment were brought in and used to keep a vigil
at and around the campus to prevent the militants from escaping during the
night. The Army which being assisted by Solar LED tube lamp
Suppliers other security forces fired mortars and other projectiles to
eliminate the militants.Srinagar: The gunbattle between security forces and
militants holed up inside a multi-storey government building in Pampore, about
16 kilometres from Srinagar, entered the second day on Tuesday
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