Trooper, militant killed, 5 soldiers injured in Kashmir attacks

By Hilal Mir

​​​​​​​SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - A paramilitary trooper was killed while five soldiers and a special police officer were injured in two separate suspected militant attacks in the Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The paramilitary soldier, identified as Kabir Dass, succumbed to gunshot injuries sustained early Wednesday during firing by a militant cornered by government forces in Saida Sukhal village of Kathua district in the Jammu province of the region.

A police officer in Jammu, Anand Jain, told reporters that “two terrorists, who appeared to have freshly infiltrated (from across the border), surfaced in the village at around 8 p.m. and asked for water from a household. The people got frightened, and as soon as information was received, a police team rushed to the village.”

“One of the terrorists tried to hurl a grenade at the police team and was killed in the exchange of fire, while the second terrorist is reported to be hiding in the village,” Jain said.

He said the police were identifying the deceased militant and the group to which he belonged.

Five soldiers of the Indian army’s counterinsurgency force, Rashtriya Rifles, and a police officer, were hospitalized for gunshot wounds after militants attacked their check post in Doda district of Jammu province late Tuesday night, reports said. Jain confirmed the attack.

This is the third militant attack since Sunday when militants fired at a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to a shrine in the Reasi area of Jammu province.

Officials said the driver lost control after the attack, causing the bus to plunge into a gorge. Nine passengers were killed and 33 others injured in the incident.