Militants attack CRPF camp in Srinagar, kill 5 jawans

The relative calm in Kashmir, regarding terror attacks, was shattered today in Srinagar city when suspected 'fidayeen' launched a suicide attack on a CRPF camp, catching the jawans by surprise, and killing five in the gunfight.

The fidayeen attack on the CRPF camp in the Bemina area of Srinagar ended with the killing of two militants, but not before five CRPF jawans were killed and seven others injured - the attack continued for over half-an-hour.

In pics: Kashmir encounter kills five CRPF jawans

''Five CRPF men got killed when militants sneaked into a CRPF camp at Bemina. Two militants responsible for the attack were also killed in the attack,'' police spokesman Manoj Kumar said.

So far no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but officials said it could be the handiwork of Lashkar-e-Toiba, which had warned of strikes in the Valley and other parts of the country earlier.

Search operations have been launched by teams of Special Operation Group and CRPF in the vicinity of the CRPF camp, while a total security clampdown has been ordered across the city. A senior police official told The Indian Express that both the militants responsible for the attack were killed. He added, ''We are trying to ascertain the identities of the slain militants.''

Around 10.45 a.m. militants sneaked into the CRPF camp from the nearby ground and opened fire on the jawans who were inside the camp. The jawans retaliated and in the ensuing encounter both the militants were neutralized.

Sources said that militants entered the camp through the ground of the Police Public School where some young men were playing cricket. Initially, CRPF jawans, who were guarding the camp, mistook the militants for cricket players.

A senior police officer said that the militants had concealed their weapons in the playing kits and were freely mixing with the youth playing cricket.

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