Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police A K Suri on Monday said the killing of 11 policemen in Ind Gool village was an act of revenge.
He also said that the terrorists had carried out the recent killings in Poonch and Rajouri sectors at the behest of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence.
"We have gunned down Ammanullah Pir, deputy commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen on February 25, in an operation carried out by the police. There has also been an increase in the pressure on terrorists organizations from their mentor, ISI, to do something to make their presence felt," he said.
Asked if the over 100 terrorists had taken part in this operation and if the villagers had been used as human shields, Suri said that such stories were being spread by some vested interests.
He said the incident had taken place during the night and the exact number of militants could not be ascertained.
The police said Billoo Gujjar, a close associate of the slain Hizbul deputy commander, had led the massacre. There is no news about four personnel who have gone missing in the attack.
Asked why the nearby police pickets failed to react and rescue their brothers in uniform, Suri said that the terrain of the area is such that rushing reinforcements takes time.
The police have set up extra police pickets in the area to boost the confidence of the local people who are now threatening to migrate.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has blamed the state government for soft peddling towards terrorists. Senior party leader J P Mathur, in New Delhi, said the killings are a direct result of state governments polices and disbanding the special operations group.
