Militants killed were wearing Fidayeen vests, tasked to blow vital installation: DGP

JJ CORRESPONDENT

Jammu, Apr 22: Patting the security forces for successful counter insurgency operation, the Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Friday said that both the terrorists were Pakistani, wearing Fidayeen vest (jacket) and were tasked to blow some vital installation.
“The terrorists neutralised by the security forces belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad and they were wearing suicide vest,” the police chief told media at the encounter site after the operation was concluded.
He said, “the terrorists were fidayeens and were tasked to blow vital installation with suicide jackets they were wearing after engaging the security forces in firing.”
The terror attack is a part of conspiracy to disrupt peaceful situation of Jammu region ahead of Prime Minister’s April 24 visit to Palli Panchayat in Samba district on Panchayati Raj Day, he said.
Singh said that it seems to be a conspiracy to sabotage the visit of the Prime Minister but the security forces successfully carried out the operations, adding, “as per initial reports, both the terrorists were Pakistani.”
“Initially, it seems to be fresh infiltration because we don’t have any history of the neutralised terrorists especially when they were wearing suicide vest,” he said and added, “large quantity of arms and ammunition including three Ak rifles, grenades, eatables, medicines and some gadgets, which generally fidayeens carry, are recovered from the site.”
The police chief said that PM’s rally was not the target and added that infiltration attempts have some how increased along the Line of Control and the international border.
He also said that on specific inputs received by the police late last night about the presence of the terrorists in Jalabad area of Sunjuwan, cordon and search operation (CASO) was launched.
“The fidayeens were tasked to engage heavy deployment of the security forces to cause huge casualties but the police on inputs with CRPF, CISF and Army launched the operation,” said Singh.
He said that the terrorists fired heavily when tried to break the cordon and exchange of fire the jawans of CISF and police suffered injuries.
One CISF Assistant Sub Inspector attained martyrdom during the firing.
ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh, DIG Jammu Vivek Gupta and SSP Jammu Chandan Kohli supervised the operation and successfully conducted it, he said.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s April 24 visit to Palli Panchayat of Samba, security forces have eliminated two terrorists during a fierce gunfight in Sunjuwan area.
The martyred ASI has been identified as SP Patel of CISF, while the injured have been identified as Head Constable Balraj Singh of Jammu Police, SPO Sahil Sharma and two jawans of CISF namely Parmod Patra of Odisha and Amir Soran of Assam.
All the injured have been shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
The Chief Education Officer, Jammu also ordered the closure of ten schools in the morning near the encounter site as precautionary measures while the mobile internet facility in adjoining areas was also suspended. UNI