8 jawans killed, 19 injured in militant attack

In a brazen terror attack on the eve of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit, suspected Hizbul Mujahideen militants today ambushed an Army convoy killing eight Army jawans and injuring 19 others near Hyderpora area on the outskirts of the city.
The attack, the second in three days and the deadliest so far this year, was claimed to have been carried out by pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen but security establishment believe that it was handiwork of banned Lashker-e-Taiba terror outfit.
The security has been beefed up across the state in view of the attack as intelligence inputs suggested that the militants may try to carry out more such attacks during the VVIP visit.

According to sources, unmanned aerial vehicles were also pressed into service to carry out technical surveilance of Pir Panjal and Zabarwan mountain ranges amid inputs that militants armed with rockets had formed their base in the ridges of these mountains.
Today's audacious attack took place at 1635 hours near Classic hospital on Panthachowk-Parimpora stretch on national highway leading to North Kashmir when a convoy of 35 Rashtriya Rifles was going to its base camp at Budgam.
Militants, armed with AK assault rifles, attacked the convoy from front as well as back and, according to eyewitnesses, three terrorists carried out the attack that left eight jawans dead and 16 others injured.

According to the Army, the condition of three jawans was stated to be critical.