Terrorists behind Gulmarg ambush hid in snow-clad range for 8-odd weeks before striking

SRINAGAR: Two suspected terrorists from Pakistan were holed up in the higher reaches of the snow-clad Apharwat mountain range in J&K's Gulmarg since early Aug, biding their time before laying last Thursday's ambush on a military truck 5km from the LoC in which two soldiers and as many porters were killed, security officials said quoting intelligence reports.

Botapathri, where the terrorists struck, is a picture-perfect meadow ringed by towering mountains and dense forests where Himalayan brown bears and snow leopards are known to roam. The area has two security checkpoints, neither of which purportedly got a whiff of a terrorist intrusion until the ambush on a two-vehicle 18 Rashtriya Rifles convoy carrying supplies.

Police sources said the two assailants targeted the first vehicle by hurling grenades, which gave them the cover to fire at the personnel and the porters inside from automatic weapons.

Initial reports suggested that the attackers used rockets to target the provisions-laden truck headed for the last Indian Army picket on the LoC. The damage caused to the vehicle was later found to be from gunshots and grenades.

Based on inputs from various agencies, the terrorists are thought to be from the Pakistan-headquartered Jaish-e-Mohammad. They infiltrated the region over eight weeks before the ambush and may have escaped to another part of the valley after the deadly ambush.

A military spokesperson said retaliation by the RR contingent forced the terrorists to leave behind an unspecified weapon and a rucksack before escaping into the dense foliage in fading light. Security forces continue to scour areas like Baba Rishi in the Gulmarg mountains for the two terrorists behind last week's ambush.

The spokesperson said Pakistani intruders were intimidating Kashmiri villagers into keeping quiet while planning strikes to resume their "reign of terror", aimed at disrupting the govt's effort to bring peace and stability after J&K's first assembly election in a decade.

Gujjars and Bakerwals, who graze their sheep in the valley during the summer months, live in the dhokas (mud huts) on the upper reaches of Gulmarg.

Apharwat Peak, which is at 14,403ft, is a tourist favourite that can be viewed by taking a gondola ride from Gulmarg.

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