POONCH/JAMMU, SEPT 30: Militants struck in Nar village, 17 km from Mendhar, tonight and killed five members of a forest guard's family, including three minor children. Two people were injured in the attack.Securitymen believe militants of the Lashkar-e-Toiba are behind the incident. They reportedly tried to take the son of forest guard Gulzar Hussain for arms training, and fired when the family tried to prevent them. Gulzar was not at home at the time of the incident.Inspector General of Police, Jammu zone, R.V. Raju said three armed militants attacked Gulzar's house. One of them, identified as Hussain, stood guard while the other two stormed the room where the family was sleeping. They dragged out Tariq, Gulzar's eldest son, saying he was being taken for jehad, the IG said.When Tariq's mother Begum Ashraf tried to stop the militants, they hit her with rifle butts and then reportedly tried to kill Tariq. The IG said the family members, including two minor brothers and sister, tried to shield Tariq. The militants are reported to have then fired, killing Begum Asraf, 35, her daughter Shahnaz Hussain, 18, Musharaf Begum, 9, and two sons - Aurangzeb, 6, and Koka Shah, 4. Tariq, 20, and her sister Monaz Akhter, 16, got bullets injuries on their limbs. They have been admitted to Mendhar Hospital and their condition is said to be stable.Before the neighbours and security forces reached Hassan's house, the militants escaped.Following the incident, many villagers have decided to migrate to Poonch town. ``Why live in a place where safety and security is not guaranteed,'' a villager said.Tariq and Monaz do not yet know about the death of their mother and siblings. ``Every now and then they ask us why their mother has not turned up in hospital. We tell them the Army and police have stopped them from coming out,'' a relative said.The IG said senior district officers, including Poonch SSP Pankaj Saxena and district development commissioner Khalid Hussain had left for the village. The Army has cordoned off the area.A senior police officer in Poonch claimed that Lashkar militants were behind the massacre, pointing out that they dominate villages like Mendhar, Gursai, Naka Majari and Harni in Mendhar tehsil.Raju said it was tough to guard a sparsely populated area like Mendhar. ``We can't make the security force personnel guard every inch of the land,'' he added.
