The attack happened merely six kilometres from the tourist hotspot in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, which, officials said, was completely dominated by the Army. However, recently there were reports that a terrorist group had infiltrated and taken shelter in the higher reaches of the Afrawat range.
In another deadly attack on October 20, six non-local labourers and a local doctor were killed when terrorists fired indiscriminately upon them at the Z-Morh tunnel construction site in the Gagangir area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. Before that, a labourer from Bihar was shot dead by terrorists in Shopian district on October 18.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on October 22 directed the security forces to conduct coordinated counter-terrorism operations proactively to wipe out terrorism in the Union Territory. He also directed that the security grid should be further strengthened to ensure zero terror incidents.
Search operations continued on Friday morning in Baramulla following the firefight between the Army and terrorists last night.
Here are the most recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and the number of lives they claimed.
Terrorists opened fire on a vehicle in the Bota Pathri area near Gulmarg in north Kashmir on the evening of October 24. The Bota Pathri area was recently opened to tourists, and at the time of the attack, the vehicle was headed for the Nagin post in the Afrawat range. The attack led to the death of three soldiers and two Army porters, following which, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directed security forces to give a swift and befitting response to the terrorists.
Hours before the vehicle was attacked in Gulmarg, terrorists shot at and injured a labourer from Uttar Pradesh in the Tral area of Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir Thursday morning. The labourer was identified as Shubam Kumar, a resident of Bijnore. He received a gunshot injury in the arm when the terrorists fired at him at Batagund village. He was later admitted to a hospital. Later the same day, the body of another non-local was found in Srinagar. However, police said the man was suspected to have been killed in an apparent animal attack.
On October 20, six non-local labourers and a local doctor were killed in a terror attack on a construction site in Ganderbal district. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said two foreign terrorists, who have possibly infiltrated from north Kashmir’s Bandipora area, were involved in an attack that left seven people dead in Ganderbal district a day before.
The seven killed were identified as Dr Shahnawaz from Budgam in central Kashmir, Gurmeet Singh (30) from Punjab’s Gurdaspur, Inder Yadav (35) from Bihar, Mohan Lal (30) and Jagtar Singh (30) from Kathua in Jammu, Fayaz Ahmad Lone (26) and Zahoor Ahmad Lone from Kashmir.
On October 18, a labourer from Bihar was shot by terrorists in the Shopian district. The bullet-riddled body of the labourer was found in a field in the Wachi area of Zainapora.
On October 9, security forces recovered the bullet-ridden body of a missing soldier of the territorial army who had been abducted by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag. The jawan was identified as Hilal Ahmad Bhath. Terrorists had abducted two territorial army jawans, however, one of them had managed to escape. Later, a joint counter-terrorist operation was launched by the Army to find the other jawan.
On July 22, terrorists attacked the house of a Village Development Committee (VDC) in Gunda village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri, during a firefight with security personnel. Following the attack, the White Knight Corps, in a post on ‘X’ wrote, “Op Gunda Terrorists attacked the house of a VDC at Gunda, Rajouri at 0310h. A nearby Army column reacted and a firefight ensued. Operations are continuing.”
