Reports suggest that terrorists used Mahindra Scorpio bearing more than 350 kg of explosives. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today promised that the "sacrifices" of the jawans at Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama "will not go in vain". Condemning the attack on a CRPF convoy in which nearly 40 men died, PM Modi tweeted, "The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the families of the brave martyrs. May the injured recover quickly".
Union Minister Arun Jaitley tweeted, "Terrorists will be given unforgettable lesson for their heinous act".
The scale of today's attack is far larger than the one in Uri more than two years ago, when four terrorists struck at an army base, killing 19 soldiers. Eleven days later, the army had retaliated with surgical strikes on terror launchpads across the Line of Control, destroying several installations.
The terrorists had struck this afternoon, driving a Scorpio laden with 350 kg of explosives into a CRPF convoy. The Scorpio struck one bus, which was carrying around 40 personnel. The resulting blast struck other vehicles close by. Forty others are battling for their lives, 13 of them are critical.
The Prime Minister, who had gone to Uttarakhand for a rally ahead of the coming national elections, is heading for Delhi. In another tweet, he said:
Home Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to visit Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow.
Terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place as a 70-vehicle convoy was on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. Investigators are baffled at the scale of the attack, given that almost the entire leadership of Jaish has been wiped out over the years.