TERROR STRIKE ON BSF CAMP NEAR S’NAGAR AIRPORT FOILED

Security forces foiled an attempt by the Jaish-e-Mohammed to storm a fully secure BSF camp near the high-security Srinagar international airport on Tuesday, killing all three militants in an operation that also claimed the life of an assistant sub-inspector of the force.

The security camp also shares a boundary wall with an old Indian Air Force airfield and is about 500 metres from the airport. In fact, the 182 battalion camp is entrusted with the security of the runway of the Srinagar airport.

It is understood that one of the terrorists -- who were all in BSF fatigues -- pretended to be a soldier and fired in the same direction as the security forces until he was spotted and killed.

After the first terrorist was killed in retaliatory firing around 4.15 am, shortly after the group attacked the camp, two other terrorists ran into two buildings - the administrative block and the officers' mess - and fired from there.

According to one official account, the second terrorist had the audacity to come out of the three-story administrative building and took position with the soldiers. "He was wearing a camouflage dress of the CRPF and aimed his weapon towards the building where our forces were also aiming," a senior officer told the NDTV.When an officer turned to a soldier to hand over more ammo, they spotted the stranger aiming at the administrative building - a man they hadn't seen before and didn't remember positioning him there.

The officer continued, "They suspected him as they hadn't placed him there. Then he gave them a sign asking them to come forward. The moment he turned his AK 47, they fired on him and neutralized him then and there."

The three terrorists were killed after nearly 8 hours of gun-battle. Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's "Afzal Guru Squad" has claimed responsibility for the attack. Over a dozen Jaish suicide attackers had crossed over to India through the Jammu sector in August; some six to seven of them are still at large. Officials in the know of developments said there was prior intelligence that an operative identified as 'Noora Trali' had brought in a suicide squad into the city.

Civilian air operations, which were suspended for nearly three hours in the morning, resumed at 10 am. Piecing together the chain of events, police said militants entered the BSF's 182 battalion headquarters through a damaged perimeter wall and started firing in all directions.