Sopur, June 21: A cop was killed and eleven persons including eight civilians, two cops and a trooper wounded in fresh wave of violence in Sopur town of north Kashmir’s Varmul district on Monday.
After lull of nearly two and half months, suspected militants fired three rifle grenades on 22- Rashtriya Rifles battalion headquarters located at Ganjoo house at around 0845 hours today.” They missed the intended target and fell in the nearby orchard,” police sources said adding this was first time Army was targeted in the town after fresh spurt in militant activities here.
Police sources said at around 1030 hours, militants lobbed grenade and subsequently fired upon cops deployed on law and order duty at State Bank of India, near main Chowk of the town. The two wounded cops were identified as Bhushan Koul and Tarseem Lal of 7th battalion of Indian Reserve police.
Fifteen minutes after, in second attack, suspected militants appeared and lobbed grenade on CRPF camp near BSNL exchange injuring six civilians including four BSNL employees, they added.
The wounded were identified as Shamsudin Khan, Maqsood Ahmed, Ghulam Nabi, Barkat Ahmed Gojri, Abdul Ahad Gojri and Manoj Kumar. The SOG camp and SP office lies in the vicinity of the targeted CRPF camp.
After three attacks, troopers, CRPF and SOG personnel cordoned off the Baghat Batpora and conducted house-to-house searches to trace the militants.
“As they were closing in at 1645 hours, the militants hiding in a house fired on the search party killing SPO namely Ghulam Hassan,” police sources said, adding that house where the militants had taken shelter was blasted.
They said one militant was reportedly killed in the gunfight, but his body was not retrieved yet.
Talking to Greater Kashmir Superintendent of Police Sopur Altaf Ahmed Khan said that one cop was killed in the gunfight.
“We have not retrieved body of any militant from the rubble yet. We would clear debris tomorrow morning,” he added.
Meanwhile two civilians were also wounded in the cross-fire at Badam Bagh bye-pass this evening.
They were identified as Showkat Ahmed Sofi and Ejaz Ahmed Khan.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST