At least five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and several injured when suspected militants launched a surprise attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district. A joint patrol of CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) police came under attack near the Oxford Presentation School on KP road in south Kashmir. As per initial reports, a militant was also killed in the shoot-out. Among the injured include two CRPF personnel, a Station House Officer (SHO) of J & K police and one civilian.
The incident took place at a main thoroughfare and the attackers apparently fired with automatic rifles and hurled grenades, local news agency GNS reported. The main target seemed to be the state police and CRPF who were on patrol on the Khanabal-Pahalgam road.
Dr Abdul Majeed Mehrib, Medical Superintendent, District Hospital Anantnag, said five CRPF personnel were brought to the facility. “Three among them succumbed to their injuries,” GNS quoted him as saying. SHO, Arshad Khan, who sustained a bullet injury in his chest, was shifted to Anantnag district hospital where from he was referred to Srinagar in a very critical condition.
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A CRPF spokesman confirmed the attack. “Motor cycle-borne terrorists fired upon troops of B/116Bn and JKP who were on L/O duty at 1655 hrs in which 03 CRPF jawan attained martyrdom, 03 others injured and evacuated to Janglad Mandi Hospital. 01 militant neutralised, and the area cordoned off, reinforcement reached. Firing on,” read a CRPF statement.
Meanwhile, Al Umar militant outfit has claimed the attack, as per the GNS news agency.
Soon after the attack, the entire area was cordoned off by an additional reinforcement of police, special operations group (SOG), army and CRPF.
This is the first major attack in Kashmir after 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a suicide blast in Pulwama earlier this year.
