SRINAGAR: As the operation to flush out militants from multi-storeyed J&K government’s Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) building at Sempora, Pampore in outskirts of Srinagar entered third day on Wednesday, army foiled a fresh infiltration bid of militants along Line of Control (LoC) in Tanghdar sector of border district of Kupwara.
An army official in Srinagar told Express that army men, who are on highest mode of alert along the LoC, foiled in infiltration bid of militants along the Line of Control in Tanghdar sector this morning.
He said the operation against the militants is going on.
The infiltration bid comes at a time when army, police and paramilitary CRPF men are engaged in an operation to flush out heavily armed militants from multi-storeyed and concrete EDI building at Sempora, Pampore, about 12 kms from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
The operation against militants, who had taken over EDI building in the early hours of October 10, has entered the third day today. The area around the EDI building was resounding with huge blasts as security personnel were firing rockets, mortars and grenades towards the building to end the militant resistance.
Sources said two militants have been killed so far and three of the seven floors have been cleared by security forces. “We suspect that another militant is holed up in the building and engaging the security forces”.
They said para commandos entered the building early this morning. “They have cleared the first three floors. However, as they were going in the 4th floor, they came under fire from militant.
Sources said after the militant firing, security forces again pounded the militant to soften the holed-up militant.
“The security personnel will launch final assault on the EDI building soon as they suspect that only one militant may be holed-up inside the building now,” they said.
An army official told Express that security forces are pounding the building to soften the militants. “Our aim is not to bring down the building. The ammunition is fired to target the windows, reflective window panes for better visibility”.
An army soldier was injured in the initial gunfight and since then security forces have been moving cautiously and playing a waiting game.
The latest attack on EDI building is the second militant attack on the building in eight months. Earlier, in February this year, three militants had stormed the three-storey EDI building. In the three day-long long encounter, two army captains, a para commando, two paramilitary CRPF men and a civilian besides all three attackers were killed. It was one of the longest encounters in the Valley.