Pampore encounter ends, three terrorists shot dead

The operation, which began on Saturday saw five security force personnel including two Captains of elite commando units laying down their lives while battling the terrorists

SRINAGAR: The 48-hour fierce gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar ended on Monday evening with the killing of three heavily-armed terrorists holed up in a government building situated along the SrinagarJammu National Highway.

“The encounter has ended and three militants who had taken ref- uge inside the building have been killed,” a police official said about the incident in Pampore.

An Army official, overseeing the operation, also said that three terrorists were killed in the five-storey building of Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) and ‘war-like’ stores, including arms and ammunition had been recovered. A combing operation was underway to sanitise the building which has 44 rooms plus lobbies, washrooms and a restaurant on the top floor. The operation, which began on Saturday evening, saw five security force personnel including two captains of elite commando units laying down their lives while battling the terrorists, suspected to be of foreign origin.

A civilian was killed in the crossfire between the two sides while 120 civilians were evacu- ated safely. As the operation entered the third day on Monday, the Special Forces of the army maximised the force, using mortar shells to flush out the terrorists, the officials said.

During the intense gunfight, the top floor of the building caught fire which forced the ultras to shift towards one side of the complex where they were nuetralised, the police official said.

The terrorists were suspected to be foreigners and apparently a “suicide squad”, said Major-General Arvind Dutta, General Officer Commanding of Victor Force, who was overseeing the operation.

The identity of the slain attackers, however, was not immediately known, he said.

In Delhi, Central Reserve Poloce Force Director General Prakash Mishra said the attack “appears to be” the handiwork of Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit.

Major-General Dutta said the building appeared to be a predetermined target where they rushed into after attacking a Central Reserve Police Force convoy.

“They were carrying a large quantity of arms and ammunition... They were seen running into the building with big bagpacks,” the army officer said.

- PTI SMOKE BILLOWS: Smoke billowing out of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) building where militants were holed up during an encounter with the security forces at Sampora in Pampore on Monday.