'Terrorists enter Kashmir via nullahs near border, carry out attacks'

Asking them to learn lessons from past incidents, former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said the Border Security Force should try to plug holes in the border as terrorists were "repeatedly" using routes like nullahs or riverine areas to carry out attacks.

"I urge the Centre and state governments learn some lessons from the previous attacks. The infiltrating militants are repeatedly using these routes (via nallahs and riverine areas along the International Border)", Omar told reporters in Jammu.

"They (the BSF) could not rectify this weakness (in the anti-infiltration obstacle setup along IB),” he alleged. "Now, the central government is in power for the last seven months. They should do something to stop such attacks as they blamed us in the past."

Omar said, that "when such attacks took place during my rule we asked the BSF to block the riverine and nullahs along the IB so that infiltration is put to a stop. The infiltrators are using nullahs along the border. Some places you have fencing and some places you have installed lighting system, but these nullahs are open."

A policeman was among two persons killed and nine others injured, including seven Central Reserve Police Force men, when a group of militants of a fidayeen squad dressed in army fatigues stormed a police station in Kathua district of the state in the wee hours.

"I can say with confidence that once the probe of this encounter takes place, you will find that these militants might have come this (Friday) morning only and during the night they might have infiltrated. They found the first target -- the Kathua police station -- and they attacked it," Omar said.

"I pay respects to those brave soldiers of police, who laid down their lives," he said. "I condemn it. Such attacks have taken place in the past also and the route has been repeatedly being used by them," he said.

"My thoughts are with those brave security personnel dealing with the fidayeen attack in Kathua town of Jammu," he added.