While Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that Monday's terror attack at Zewan area of Srinagar city was pre-planned, experts cautioned that Pakistan-sponsored terrorists have intensified targeted killings of cops only to demoralize J&K Police.
Five cops of Jammu and Kashmir Police were killed in two back-to-back terror attacks in Kashmir Valley during the last three days.
"Recent selective killings of cops were part of the deep-rooted strategy devised by the mentors of terrorists- sitting across the border", former Director-General of J&K Police Dr. S P Vaid said and cautioned that the new strategy of terrorists was aimed at demoralizing J&K Police which has been playing a dominant role in anti-terror operations for the last 30 years.
The former DGP said terrorists select the soft target to create a fear psychosis among cops.
90 percent of anti-terror operations being conducted on J&K police's inputs
The former DGP- who served in J&K when terrorism was at its peak, revealed that over 90 percent of anti-terror operations in J&K are usually conducted on the intelligence inputs provided by the J&K Police.
"Local police have a village-level strong network. It is all due to this network that forces have succeeded in eliminating dreaded terrorists", Vaid said and pointed that targeting cops, after repeated intervals, was a new trend aimed at demoralizing local police.
Two foreigners, a local terrorist involved in the attack on a police bus
IGP Kashmir said two foreign and a local terrorist were involved in the attack on a police bus in the outskirts of Srinagar at Zewan that left three policemen dead and 11 others injured.
IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said 25 policemen were in the bus at the time of the attack which was carried by a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit.
"Two foreigners and a local terrorist carried out Zewan attack. One terrorist got injured and his blood trail suggests that the group fled to Pampore and then to the Tral area and we are tracking them and very soon they will be neutralized," Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of a wreath-laying ceremony for the slain cops in Srinagar.
"We have other leads as well and will track down the group", he added
One more cop succumbs, toll 3
The death toll in Monday's terror rose to three as one among the 12 injured police personnel succumbed to wounds at a hospital here on Tuesday.
Reports said that Constable Rameez Ahmad son of Mohammad Amin of Yachama Ganderbal succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday morning.
Earlier Assistant Sub Inspector Ghulam Hassan of Top Neel Bharthand Ramban and Safique Ali, selection grade constable of Mamakoti Mahore in Reasi district succumbed to injuries at Army's 92 base camp at Badami Bagh hospital on Monday evening.
Valiant cops foiled attempt of terrorists to snatch weapons
The attack on a police bus was the first major attack on security forces in Kashmir since the Lethpora Pulwama car bombing in February 2019 that killed 40 CRPF personnel.
The IGP said the policemen foiled the weapon snatching attempt at Zewan by retaliating to the firing.
"The aim was to carry out weapon snatching but our jawans effectively retaliated and foiled their attempt," he said while terming the attack a planned one.
The senior police officer said preventive measures would be taken to prevent such attacks in the future.
