9 soldiers, 2 civilians hurt in IED blast
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 17: An Army Major was martyred and a militant was killed, while another officer and two troopers were injured today in an encounter between security forces and the ultras in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, officials said.
Major Ketan Sharma was killed while another officer of the same rank and two soldiers were injured in the encounter in the Achabal area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, they added.
The injured were rushed to the 92 base hospital of the Army in Srinagar, the officials said.
They added that an unidentified militant was also killed in the gunfight and his body recovered.
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Arms and ammunition were seized from the encounter site, the officials said.
The identity and group affiliation of the slain militant was being ascertained, they added.
Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the area in the morning. The search operation led to a gunfight after the militants fired on the forces, who retaliated.
“The operation was still going on when the reports last came in,” sources said.
Earlier it was reported that two militants were killed.
Meanwhile, internet mobile service has been suspended as a precautionary measure to prevent spread of rumours.
Additional security forces and state police personnel have been deployed outside the cordoned off areas to prevent demonstration, official sources said.
Meanwhile, nine Army personnel and two civilians were injured when militants triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) fitted in a vehicle near an Army patrol in the militancy-hit Pulwama district of south Kashmir today, officials said.
They said the multi-vehicle patrol of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles was moving on Arihal-Pulwama road when the IED was detonated by the militants, injuring the personnel travelling in a bullet-and-mine-proof Casper vehicle.
The Army personnel immediately swung into action and fired in air to dominate the situation and ward off any surprise attack, the officials said.
The injured have been admitted to a hospital and all of them were reported to be in stable condition, the officials said.
Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said it was a “failed attempt” to attack the patrol and except for a “few minor injuries, all troops are safe”.
“A failed attempt was made to attack a mobile vehicle patrol of 44 RR with a vehicle-based IED while the Army patrol was moving in the general area of Arihal in district Pulwama today evening,” he said in a statement here.
“Troops are all safe, (except a) few minor injuries,” the Defence spokesman said, adding the damage was minimised due to the alertness of the patrol team.
The area has been cordoned off and a search operation is in progress, he said.
The site of the blast is 27 kms from the area where a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a suicide bomber on February 14 in which 44 CRPF personnel were martyred.
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