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NSG commandos storm BSF camp, rescue hostages

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

The hostage crisis in the Border Security Force camp at Bandipore, 55km from Srinagar, ended today with the safe release of all 12 hostages when commandos of the National Security Guard stormed the complex at 0745 IST and shot dead three of the terrorists who were holding them captive.

The Black Cats were specially flown in to Bandipore from Delhi yesterday afternoon to end the stand-off.

The terrorists were holding some BSF personnel and their family members, including four women and five children, hostage in one of the residential buildings in the complex since 0300 IST on Monday after storming the camp and killing four persons, including a deputy inspector general.

In the afternoon yesterday, the BSF shot dead one of the terrorists who tried to escape after firing on four of its personnel. The four jawans were shifted to hospital.

BSF Inspector General (Kashmir division) K Vijay Kumar told reporters at the Pathanchowk BSF headquarters that two or three militants are still holed up inside the camp and the BSF troops are engaged in an operation to flush them out.

"The militants were still firing from inside when last reports came in," he said.

Vijay Kumar said that as soon as the commandos stormed the camp, the militants began firing from inside. But the forces managed to rescue all the 12 hostages.

Two pro-Pakistan terrorist organisations -- Al-Badr and Lashkar-e-Toiba -- had claimed responsibility for the attack on the BSF camp.

Additional reporting by UNI

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