8 security men, 2 militants killed in attack on DPL Pulwama

Pulwama: At least eight government forces personnel including four cops and two militants were killed in a fierce gun battle inside District Police Lines Pulwama in South Kashmir on Saturday.Nine security personnel have sustained injuries and are being treated in the hospital. While militant outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad has claimed the responsibility for the Pulwama attack, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh have condemned the attack on Pulwama district police lines .
Official sources said that a group of militants, believed to be fidayeen, attacked a camp close to the District Police Lines.
Some more militants are believed to be holed up as gunfight was in progress till the filing of this report.
DGP S P Vaid said that a policeman, two SPOs, two CRPF men and two militants have been killed in the operation so far.
Jammu and Kashmir Police tweeted saying there’s no hostage situation, all families evacuated, operation on, tweets J&K police. Extra forces have been rushed to the spot. The Ministry of Home Affairs, in a statement to the media, said that militants have been cornered in a set of government quarters and action to flush them out is in process, adding that exact number of militants is still not known.
Locals said the firing started around 4 am. The camp, that has been attacked, is situated in a high security area and close to DC and SSP office on Shopian Pulwama highway. An army camp is also located close to the encounter site.
Eyewitnesses said choppers were seen hovering over the encounter site. Two building caught fire while intermittent firing and explosions rocked the district. A police official said that militants also fired an UBGL RD which got blown up in the DPL ground.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that beises two militants, four policemen and two para-military troopers have been killed.
During the gun fight scores of youth hit to roads and clashed with government forces who retaliated with tear-smoke shelling and aerial firing. Youth pelted stones on the government forces deployed near the encounter site.
“It will be premature to say anything at this stage. The gunfight is on and exactly it is not clear how many militants and the security men have been killed,” said a police official from district Pulwama.
Militant outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad has claimed the responsibility of Pulwama attack. Hasan Shah, the spokesperson of the outfit as quoted by local news gathering agency CNS said “the valiant militants stormed into CRPF camp stationed at District Police Lines (DPL) Pulwama and inflicted casualties upon the armed forces”.
He was also quoted as saying “The armed forces have suffered massive damage while militants present there are giving a tough time to the Indian troops,” he said.
Pertinently, three policemen, and two CRPF personnel have been killed so far in the gun fight that is still underway.
Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh have in their separate statements strongly condemned the killing of jawans of J&K Police and CRPF in a pre-dawn attack at District Police Lines, Pulwama Saturday.
In a statement, Mehbooba Mufti said violence of last three decades or more has taken a heavy toll on the people of the State in terms of death and destruction, tearing apart of the social fabric, inflicting massive economic, academic and other losses besides the irreparable loss of human lives. The Chief Minister paid rich tributes to the slain jawans of the two organisations. She also conveyed her sympathies to the bereaved families of the jawans.
Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh has also condemned the militant attack on District Police Lines in Pulwama and termed it as a dastardly act. The Deputy Chief Minister said the attack is the handiwork of the elements inimical to peace and development in the State and are trying to create an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. He also expressed his sympathy with the bereaved family members of deceased security personnel.