Fidayeen attack in Srinagar

A fidayeen attack in Srinagar's Bemina area after a gap of three years has left five CRPF men dead. It also seems to have closed any debate on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) with officials in Delhi saying AFSPA cannot be withdrawn from J&K.
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)-based terror outfit Hizbul Mujahedeen has claimed responsibility for the attack while Home Secretary RK Singh said in Delhi that the two terrorists gunned down by the CRPF prima-facie "appeared to be Pakistanis" rather than locals. Singh added that there were inputs of four terrorists recently infiltrating into J&K from across the border and hunt was on for two men who had escaped. Home Ministry officials in Delhi said the incident shows that terrorists still have the capacity to strike in Srinagar and removal of AFSPA was hence detrimental to security in J&K ahead of what is expected by security agencies to be a violent year for the state in wake of Mohammad Afzal Guru's execution. The Bemina by-pass area, where the attack took place on Wednesday outside a housing colony of security forces, also falls on the route of Army convoys to forward locations on the Line of Control (LoC).
In another development, a CRPF convoy allegedly opened fire in Zoonimar locality of Srinagar leading to death of one person. Top police officials said they would impose curfew in Srinagar to prevent any escalation of the tensions and strife.


Jammu and Kashmir police on Thursday night claimed to have arrested a Pakistani militant who could have been part of the fidayeen group that attacked a CRPF camp in Bemina on Wednesday, killing five jawans and injuring 10 others including four civilians.
A top police source identified the arrested militant as Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Talah, a member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, from Multan in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
A senior central intelligence officer said Riyaz is believed to have been part of the fidayeen squad and took shelter in a house belonging to one Ghulam Nabi Dar in Chatabal near regional transport office after the terror strike.
The officer said initial investigations had revealed that the fidayeen group had stayed at the same house for 14 days and conducted reccee of the CRPF camp few days back.
The arrested Pakistani militant has been shifted to air-cargo interrogation centre for questioning, the sources said. A pistol was recovered from his possession, intelligence sources said. The sources said hunt is on for two Kashmiri militants who are said to have ferried the fidayeen attackers to Srinagar.