Suicide squad storms Red Fort, kills 3 jawans

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC. 22. A suicide squad, suspectedly belonging to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, struck at the high security Red Fort late in the night on Friday killing three Army jawans and injuring two. The two militants barged into the sensitive area, catching unawares the jawans of the Rajputana Rifles and the Jat Regiment inside the premises.

Incidentally, the attack comes two days after the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, announced the extension of the ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir by another month.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba had threatened to strike in the Capital during the Ramzan month.

According to reports, the militants barged into the high security zone around 9.30 p.m. and started firing indiscriminately from automatic rifles at the pickets of Rajputana Rifles and Jat Regiment there. The militants, believed to be carrying AK-47 assault rifles, took on the jawans of the two Army regiments and exchanged fire with the guards. The militants made good their escape.

Unfazed by the presence of such a large number of Army personnel inside the Red Fort, which incidentally also houses the interrogation centres of Military Intelligence (MI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), the militants engaged the jawans in a 45-minute gun-battle. Immediately, Army personnel wielding guns and search lights came out of the Lahore Gate, and started combing the area. The premises also houses the office of the Archeological Survey of India.

The police, who reached the spot, were not allowed to enter the Red Fort. The Army had cordoned off the area and were carrying out combing operations till late tonight to track down the militants.

The militants were able to outwit the security agencies by striking in the Capital despite there being definite information of such a planned attack.

It is learnt that the Delhi police had definite information that the Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were planning to strike somewhere in the Capital on Monday or Tuesday. The police had carried out a major combing exercise during the two days looking for suspects and had even conducted raids at suspected hideouts to pre-empt the move by the suicide squad (fidayeen). However, despite tough vigilance, they were not able to nab the culprits.

The high security Red Fort area, spread across 100 acres, was immediately sealed by Army personnel suspecting that the militants might still be holed up there.

The Delhi police sounded a high alert in the city following the militant attack. The police have stepped up searches and verification of vehicles at all entry and exit points. (UNI reports).

Pickets and barricades have been set up at various places in the capital, police said.

Senior police and army officials have reached the Red Fort area and were supervising the search operations.

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