A soldier and a militant were killed while an army man suffered injuries in a gunfight at a village in this south Kashmir’s district on Friday.
A police official said that a joint team of Army’s 34- RR ,SOG and paramilitary CRPF personnel ring fenced Pandoshan village of thedistrict following “definite information” about the presence ofmilitants in the area at around 12 :15 am.
The forces soon launched a search operation in the area, headded.
The official said that while the operation was in progress,militants opened fire on the forces, who retaliated at full throttle.
In the initial exchange of firing, he said, two soldierssuffered injuries who were rushed to Army’s 92 base hospital in Badamibagh,Srinagar. One of the injured soldiers later died of his injuries, said theofficial.
The official identified the deceased soldier as sepoy Ranbirof 8 JAT while the injured army man was identified as sepoy Deepak.
The official saidthat after a few hours of gun fight, there was long hush. It, however, waspunctured by another spell of bullets fired by the militants at around halfpast two pm, he said.
“In the fierce exchange of bullets, one militant waskilled”, said the official.
He said that the identity of the slain militant was beingascertained.
“One of the residential houses from where militantswere believed to be firing on the forces was also brought down”, the official added.
He said that the militants were changing the locations thatprolonged the operation.
Another police official told Greater Kashmir that while theoperation was on, bands of youth appeared on the streets and pelted securityforces with stones. He said that forces fired tear smoke shells and pellets toscare away the stone-pelting men.
Militants trigger IED in Pulwama village
Meanwhile, militants on Friday morning set off an ImprovisedExplosive Device ( IED) at a village in Pulwama district causing damage to anarmy vehicle.
A police official said that militants triggered an IED atZahid Bagh Litter village when an armoured vehicle of 55 Rashtriya Rifles waspassing through the area at around 3 am. The blast caused some damage to thevehicle, the official said. He said thatthe IED was planted alongside the road.
Soon after the blast, the whole area was cordoned off and asearches were launched to nab the attackers.