Srinagar: Suspected militants on Monday attacked an Army vehicle in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district with an improvised explosive device (IED), fitted in a car, while it was moving through Arial village of restive Pulwama.
The police said six soldiers and two civilians were injured in the attack. However, sources suggest the number of injured is more and have been shifted to 92 Army base hospital in Srinagar. Three of them are said to be critically wounded.
The attack comes within 48 hours of Pakistan’s information to India and USA about a possible attack on the security forces in Kashmir, like the February 14 Pulwama strike in which over 40 CRPF soldiers were killed. The site of the blast is 27 kilometers from the site where the CRPF convoy was attacked by a suicide bomber in February. Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit had claimed the responsibility of the attack.
The blast targetting the Army on Monday was similar to the deadly Pulwama attack. However, the damage was reduced as the vehicle was partially-armoured, the police said.
The IED was placed in a car which was parked along the road, a police official told News18, adding that preliminary reports suggest the IED was remotely controlled. The car used in the attack was blown into pieces. Soon after the bomb went off, gunshots were heard. The reinforcement parties cordoned off the area and hunt for the suspected militants was launched.
No militant outfit has claimed the responsibility of the attack so far.
Srinagar based Defence spokesperson said that a “failed attempt" was made to attack a mobile vehicle patrol of 44 Rashtriya Rifles with a vehicle-based IED while the Army patrol was moving. He said that all the troops are safe, while a few have suffered minor injuries, adding that the damage was minimised due to the alertness of the patrol party.
Police are yet to confirm whether this attack has anything to do with the reported intelligence input shared by Pakistan.
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