Sopur, Feb 5: A policeman and a civilian were killed and two vendors, including a woman, were wounded when militants attacked police and paramilitary CRPF troopers in this north Kashmir town on Friday, police said.
“Two militants emerged from Shalpora lane at main chowk Sopur, at around 2:30 pm and fired upon the joint party of police and CRPF deployed there to thwart any pro-freedom demonstration,” witnesses told Greater Kashmir.
“IRP personnel and three civilians, including two vendors, were wounded in the shootout,” said a police official.
 He said that injured were rushed to a hospital where Arshid Ahmed of IRP 7th battalion, and a civilian, Ghulam Hasan Dar of Dangerpora succumbed to injuries. The condition of two others, Nazir Ahmed and Posha begum wounded in the shootout was stated to be critical.
 Sources said that Sub Divisional Police Officer, Harmeet Singh and Station House Officer, Abdul Aziz Qadri, were just a few metres away from the site of the attack. After the attack, top police, CRPF and army officials reached the spot to take the stock of the situation. Locals told Greater Kashmir that forces have launched massive searches in the area. Pertinently this is the seventh major incident in the town since December 2009. On December 18, militants fired a grenade on CRPF picket, injuring five troopers and a pedestrian. A week later, militants attacked a CRPF patrol party with a grenade, injuring seven persons including two troopers.
 The grenade attacks were followed by an abortive attempt by militants to blow up a CRPF vehicle with an Improvised Explosive Device.
 On December 30 militants killed four CRPF men in an ambush at Warpora Sopur. On January 15, a policeman and a civilian were killed and six persons including three cops and equal number of civilians were wounded in the shootout between militants and police.

GUNFIGHT ON IN KISHTWAR:
Police on Friday said that a gunfight between militants and troopers broke out in Jammu’s Kishtwar district.
 “Troopers cordoned off Kither forest belt this afternoon and launched searches. Militants present there opened fire on the search party which was retaliated triggering an encounter,” a police official said. The gun battle was on when reports last came in, he added.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 5 Feb 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 5 Feb 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 6 Feb 2010 00:00:00 IST