* Militants attack SOG camp in Kulgam
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, July 29: An Assistant Commandant of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was among eight persons including 3 CRPF jawans injured in a grenade blast in South Kashmir’s Anantnag town today and in Kulgam they attacked Special Operations (SOG) camp of Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Police said that the militants targeted a CRPF vehicle near Chee Gali along Khanabal Pahalgam (KP) Road in Anantnag town resulting in injuries to 8 persons including four CRPF men of 96 Battalion. The CRPF party was on Yatra security duty.
They were rushed to District Hospital Anantnag for treatment. Among the injured CRPF men include an Assistant Commandant. The injured CRPF men have been identified as Assistant Commandant Chaman Lal Bakshi, Head Constable B S Rao, Constables Nissar Ahmad and Chander Kumar.
The injured civilians were identified as Abdul Majeed Mir, Bashir Ahmad Rayoo, Ghulam Mohammad Wani and Abid Ali Lone.
Senior police, CRPF and Army officers rushed to the spot and reviewed the situation. They conducted searches in the area and peripheries of the town. The grenade attack caused damage to a Bolero vehicle of the CRPF and a Scorpio vehicle of Oxford School.
Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) militant outfit claimed the responsibility of the attack. He said militant also managed to snatch a rifle from the CRPF personnel. The outfit asked people to stay away from military installations, bunkers and search parties.
This is the second grenade attack in the town. Last week militants threw a grenade on a CRPF party in Achhabal Adda of the town in which one civilian was killed and several others including a CRPF jawan was injured.
Militants tonight hurled a grenade inside the SOG camp at Kulgam adjacent to District Hospital. The grenade exploded inside the camp without causing any damage. The militants fired several rounds before fleeing.
Security forces have launched an operation against the militants responsible for the attack. However, no one was arrested.
And in North Kashmir’s Macchil sector Army and Pakistani Rangers fired at each other after Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire in the sector.
Sources said that Pakistani Rangers targeted Durga Post from their Doshat and Bakarwal posts across the Line of Control (LoC)
The exchange of gunfire between the Pakistan Rangers and the Army’s 5 Kumaon regiment started around 11.30 am and continued for over an hour.
Army deployed in the area also fired back at the Pakistani posts by small arms including mortars. There were no reports of any casualties on either side.
It may be mentioned here that early this month Pakistani troops violated ceasefire in Nowgam sector of the LoC killing two Border Security Force (BSF) men.
Follow our WhatsApp channel