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The army has tracked down one of the militants suspected to be involved in Wednesday's attack that left 12 persons, including eight BSF jawans, dead and 24 injured in Surankote in Poonch district, General Officer Commanding (16 Corps) Lieutenant General T P S Brar told rediff.com.
This is the first major election related militant attack in the Jammu region, Gen Brar added.
According to sources in the Jammu and Kashmir administration, the BSF personnel targeted by the militants were on election duty.
The attack took place around 1245 hours IST about a kilometre away from where senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni had just finished addressing an election rally while another, by an independent candidate, was to be held nearby.
People from outside had also gathered in the town for the meetings.
There were "two or three militants. They threw a grenade into a BSF vehicle and started firing indiscriminately," Gen Brar said.
Apart from the 12 deaths, eight BSF personnel, one CRPF jawan and 15 civilians were injured in the attack.
Under the strategy drawn up for the elections, paramilitary forces and state police personnel are to provide immediate security to candidates and for election meetings.
Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2002: The complete coverage
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