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Militant ambush sends shock waves through J&K

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

The militant ambush at Manjakote in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, which left sixteen dead and critically injured nine others, has sent shock waves through the security apparatus in the Valley.

"A rain of death descended on the police party in the shape of grenades and rockets fired by the militants," a senior police officer, who visited the spot on Saturday morning, said.

"We lost 14 cops and two medical assistants in the ambush," said another officer. He said 25 cops were in the ambushed vehicle and "nine of them managed to come down and tried to engage the militants."

The state police has increasingly become a favourite target of militants ever since the special operations group carved out of the local police force got involved in anti-militancy operations.

"It is a battle of morale and wits between the local police and the militants," admitted a senior officer.

As a majority of surrendered militants end up working for the SOG, the militants' strategy seems to be two pronged. While on the one hand they want to discourage militants from surrendering, on the other they want to demoralise the police force.

There is a visible panic among local policemen, who besides having to protect themselves from the wrath of the militants are also worried about the welfare of their families.

"In this phase of the ceasefire, the brunt of militant attacks, it appears, will have to be borne by the local policemen," said a middle-rung police officer.

The state police chief A K Suri had said in early December that the police would continue its operations against the militants and that the terms of the current ceasefire did not include cessation of police operations.

The Laskar-e-Tayiba has more than once threatened the state police force urging them to "to dissociate themselves from anti-militancy operations."

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