As the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probes the terror attack on the labour camp at a tunnel construction site in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district, a Pakistani terror outfit has praised the gunmen for the rampage, stating the tunnel was "against the Chinese interests".
Pakistani terror outfit People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) released a statement on Sunday's attack, which killed seven people, including a doctor, by calling it "strategic", according to The Times of India.
In the statement, PAFF, an offshoot of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), praised TRF for what it called a "strategic attack" on Indian workers. Calling the tunnel a military project, the statement said it was such "projects in occupied territory are death traps" and urged people to avoid them. The statement added that the attack was aimed at disrupting Indian military deployments on the eastern border and added the tunnel work was "against our military interests and those of our Chinese friends."
It also warned of further attacks on similar infrastructure efforts. The 6.5-km-long tunnel on the Srinagar-Leh highway is a critical infrastructure that would ensure connectivity between Ladakh and Jammu throughout the year.
VIDEO | Bihar: Mortal remains of two labourers, who were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal, brought to Patna to be taken to their native place Madhepura.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 22, 2024
A doctor and six labourers were killed on Sunday when terrorists struck a tunnel-construction site… pic.twitter.com/L61VCHOJog
The attack was reportedly carried out on the orders of TRF chief Sheikh Sajjad Gul, who carries a Rs 10 lakh bounty announced by NIA in 2022. However, the officials are yet to make any statement about the attack or the people behind it.
Meanwhile, police officers probing the attack told reporters that the terrorists were heavily armed and opened fire with automatic weapons for over 15 minutes to inflict maximum casualties.
"It appears that the terrorists had been positioned in the area and were familiar with the topography. They cut the electricity before unleashing their assault," Rising Kashmir quoted a police official.
A massive search operation is underway to find and neutralize the terrorists. Besides drones, sniffer dogs have also been deployed to comb through the dense forests and mountainous terrain surrounding the site of the attack.
Six labourers and a doctor were killed when terrorists struck the labour camp of the Z-Morh tunnel construction site in Gagangir on Sunday evening. The incident happened after the workers were having dinner in the mess.
The militants also set two vehicles belonging to the construction company ablaze before fleeing. Officials said both were foreign men who have possibly infiltrated from north Kashmir's Bandipora area.
