Two militants were killed after they attacked and killed two CRPF personnel and a special police officer (SPO) at Kreeri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Monday, police said.
A police official identified the slain CRPF personnel as Khurshid Khan and Lokesh Kumar of Bihar while the deceased policeman has been identified as Muzaffar Ahmad of Pattan. Two slain militants – both residents of Baramulla district – have been identified as Sajad alias Hyder of Brath Kalan Sopore and Inayatullah Mir of Andergam Pattan. Police said Hyder was active for over a decade.
Police said another militant is trapped. Earlier, militants attacked a joint party of CRPF and police in the area. As soon as the security forces reached at the spot, the militants opened fire, injuring two CRPF men and a policeman. They were immediately shifted to SDH Kreeri where they succumbed shortly after their arrival.
IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar, who reached the spot soon after the attack, said, “The attack was carried out by three militants affiliated with LeT outfit who appeared from nearby dense orchards and fired on the joint party of CRPF and police. Two CRPF jawans and a cop were killed in the attack.”
Following the attack, additional security forces were rushed to the area who launched massive manhunt to nab the militants. During the cordon and search operation, security forces established contact with the militants, triggering an intense gunfight which led to the killing of two militants, police said.
Security forces used drones during the manhunt and finally trapped the militants in a stream.
“The killing of top militant commander Hyder is a big achievement for police and security forces,” said the IGP.
A police official said that militants had planted an IED on the body of one of the slain militants with an aim to inflict loss to security forces. However, the IED was spotted and defused.
Earlier, on August 12, an army soldier was injured after militants fired upon a vehicle at Hygam Tramgund.
On August 14, 2 policemen were killed and another injured in an attack in Nowgam area of Srinagar.