SRINAGAR, Feb 14: Forty jawans were killed and several injured when a suicide bomber rammed a Scorpio car laden with explosives into a CRPF convoy in Awantipora town of Pulwama district on Thursday. This is one of the worst attacks since the 2001 Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly car bombing.
The injured have been moved to the army base hospital in Srinagar, 20 km from the attack site. The bus which came under the main impact of the blast belonged to 76 Batallion CRPF.
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The Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group, which has claimed responsibility for the attack, said that their militant rammed the car laden with 350 kg of explosives into the CRPF bus.
Sources said Adil Ahmad Alias Waqas, a resident of Pulwama, was the man driving the car that rammed the 55-seater CRPF bus. Such a car bomb suicide attack is happening after several years.
A 12 member team of National Investigation Agency (INA) will go to the blast site on Friday to assist the Jammu and Kashmir Police in forensic evaluation of the spot. An IG rank officer of the NIA will lead the team. The Cabinet Committee on Security will also be meeting at 9:15 am tomorrow to analyse the events of Wednesday and deliberate on the future course of action.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the country that a "strong reply will be given".
"The attack was carried out by Pakistan backed Jaish-e-Mohammed. I assure the people of the country that a strong reply will be given. The country pays tribute to the brave jawans who were martyred," said Rajnath Singh.
The Cabinet Committee on Security will be meeting on Friday at 9:15 am to analyse the events of Wednesday and deliberate on the future course of action.
"The Police have registered a case. Officers investigating this terror crime are at work to establish full circumstances which led to the blast. Condemn this gruesome terror attack and stand by families of martyred and injured jawans at this critical juncture," said Jammu and Kashmir police.
As per initial reports, soon after the attack on the convoy, which was moving from Jammu to Srinagar, gunshots and grenade blasts were heard.
Terming the attack "dastardly", PM Modi said the "sacrifices of our brave security personnel shall not go in vain".
