SRINAGAR, JANUARY 28: The recent militant attack on the Army Service Corps at Tatoo Ground in Srinagar is believed to be a major lapse as an intelligence agency had already warned the authorities that fidayeen group would carry out a suicidal attack on the formation. The residents near the camp were also asked by militants to vacate their houses before the attack.State government sources said a state intelligence agency had reported to the authorities that militants would attack the Tatoo Ground Army formation on the eve of Republic day a week ago. The report even said that ``residents of Banpora, Batamaloo, were directed by militants to vacate their houses so that they would not be harmed in attack.'' Militants had also circulated letters in Bemina locality, adjacent to Tatoo Ground, directing people to vacate their houses before the attack. Some posters were also pasted on a wall of a local mosque.The report had also said that militants were contemplating to carry out a suicide attack on thefrontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) at Sanatnagar. ``Militants have already carried out reconnaissance missions to attack the BSF headquarters,'' the report said. B L Kabu, deputy inspector general, BSF said,``The BSF headquarters was figuring in the attack list since the last few months.'' Kabu said they also had information that militants were planing to target the Tatoo ground on Republic Day.Two Armymen were killed and six others injured when militant stormed the ASC battalion at the Tatoo Ground, late on January 24. Two fidayeens were also killed by troops after they were holed-up inside a building.Sources said five militants had made two groups to launch the attack. As the two fidayeens reached near the camp, the other group fired a few rifle grenades followed by rockets. This provided the fidayeens a chance to barge into the camp area.At least 30 Armymen were inside the building when the two Harkat militants stormed the building. This created a meleeas the camp was at that time reeling under darkness like the rest of the Valley which has been experiencing power breakdowns for almost a fortnight.A Army spokesman said militants lobbed grenade and fired rockets after which two militants ran into the camp and occupied a building. ``They fired indiscriminately resulting in the killing of two soldiers and injuries to six others. Both the militants were killed by the troops. However, the identity of the slain militants is yet to be ascertained,'' he said.Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, Dr A K Bhan said,``They (intelligence agencies ) have reported that various installations would be targeted on Republic Day and Tatoo Ground was one of the them. There was also not any specific report that when and where the militants would attack the camp,'' Bhan said.The attack on Tatoo Ground was the 13th such `sneak-in suicide' strike carried out by militants in the recent past. The Army, however, was silent as to how the militants managed to sneak in. Itis still a mystery as to how they got in as the gates of all security installations are being kept locked after militant `sneak-in attacks' at various security installations in the state for last six months.
