BSF camp near Srinagar airport attacked, Rajnath Singh to chair high-level meet

Delhi: Suspected fidayeen attacked the Border Security Force (BSF) 182nd Battalion camp near the Srinagar International Airport in the early hours of Tuesday. Three BSF jawans were injured according to initial reports, although there is no official confirmation. One militant was reportedly killed as well.

The Srinagar airport has been cordoned off, with personnel and civilians barred entry. Two flights which were scheduled to land at the airport have, for now, been cancelled/diverted.

BSF camp attack LIVE updates:

9.27 am: A second militants has been killed, according to police sources. Meanwhile, operations at the Srinagar International Airport have resumed.

8.52 am: Airport services, which were previously suspended in the wake of the attack, will be restored after the decision is taken by the Airports Authority of India and concerned airlines, reports ANI.

8.47 am: The Srinagar International Airport is a highly fortified zone. According to sources, security personnel are not sure how the militants managed to sneak into the camp. The 182 Battalion is entrusted with the security of the airport’s runway.

8.35 am: Union Home Minister  has called a high-level meeting at 11.30 am in light of the attack.

8.32 am: The road to the airport has been opened, and passengers are being allowed entry towards the Srinagar airport, reports ANI. However, air traffic has not been restored yet. Meanwhile, airports in other metro cities have been put on high alert following the attack.

8.22 am: The Kashmir Valley School, which is located near the airport, will remain closed today, in light of the attack on the BSF camp.

8.11 am: A body, suspected to be that of a militant, has been found inside the BSF camp. The identity is yet to ascertained, Director General of Police SP Vaid said, reports PTI.

8.08 am: The firing has stopped and security forces are conducting combing operations at the camp. According to officials, two militants are still hiding inside a building.

8.02 am: The Srinagar airport, which is under CRPF security, has been shut down due to the ongoing operation. The CRPF has barred flight operations till security clearance, reports ANI.

8.00 am: Personnel from the CRPF, 53 RR, BSF and SOG zonal have cordoned off  the building in which the militants are holed up, according to ANI. Senior officials are present at the spot.

7.50 am: The area outside the camp has been cordoned off. The road to the airport has been closed, and airline staff and civilians have been barred from moving towards the airport.

7.45 am: The militants targeted the administrative block of the BSF’s 182nd Battalion, located outside the main gate of the airport, reports PTI. The militants are currently holed up inside the building, and an operation is underway.

7.30 am: According to civilians residing outside the Srinagar International Airport, the heavy barrage of fire and explosions started at dawn, at around 4.20 am on Tuesday. “There was heavy firing followed by intermittent blasts,” a resident living adjacent to the camp said.