Militants had been camping in Srinagar for a month?

The three Jaish-e-Muhammad militants who attacked the Border Security Force camp here on Tuesday is believed to have been in the city for around a month after infiltrating from Pakistan.

Sources in the security agencies told The Hindu that a group of militants had carried out reconnaissance in the city in the past month.

Sources in the counter-insurgency cell said ground reports suggested that the militants were planning “a spectacular attack on the Srinagar-Jammu highway near Pampore and a government building at Lal Chowk in Srinagar”. However, the name of the highly fortified Srinagar airport did not come up during the investigation.

Large group

The three militants are believed to be part of a group of 10 that infiltrated into the State through Poonch in August.

“One group was used to carry out an attack on the Pulwama Police Lines on August 28”, in which eight security men were killed. Another group was sent to Srinagar, where it stayed in different hideouts.

“Six or seven Jaish militants are still at large,” Inspector-General of Police (Kashmir) Muneer Khan said.

Of late, the Jaish-e-Muhammad, founded by Maulana Masood Azhar, has succeeded in establishing its bases in the Kashmir Valley from where it was wiped out in 2014. Later, it attacked the Pathankot airbase and the Nagrota Army base.

It is believed that the outfit works with the Border Action Team of the Pakistani Army, which helps in the infiltration of militants into the Valley.

Rajnath pats forces

Home Minister Rajnath Singh complimented the security forces for eliminating the terrorists.

Mr. Singh said he had spoken to the chiefs of the BSF and the Central Reserve Police Force following the suicide attack.