Rare night ambush leaves 3 jawans dead in Shopian

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 23

Three Army men were killed and five others, including two officers, wounded in a militant attack in south Kashmir’s Shopian district last night. A woman was also killed in the exchange of gunfire.

The attack prompted Army Chief General Bipin Rawat to rush to Srinagar to assess the situation. In less than two weeks, nine Army men, including an officer, have been killed and 15 injured. The high casualty level in the Army is being seen with concern by the security establishment.

In the latest attack, personnel of 44 Rashtriya Rifles  were ambushed at Mulu Chitragam, 60 km from here, while they were returning after a search operation at Kungnoo village. Incidents of militants laying a night ambush are rare. This incident clearly indicates that the militants are now adopting offensive strategies to counter anti-insurgency operations by the Army and other security agencies.

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Sources said the militants suddenly appeared from narrow alleys and targeted Army vehicles with automatic weapons. An Army vehicle came to a halt after a bullet hit its driver. The militants then fired volleys of bullets on the vehicle, injuring eight soldiers, including a Lt Colonel and a Major. Three soldiers, including one from south Kashmir, succumbed to their injuries at the Army’s 92 base hospital in Badamibagh, Srinagar.

The troops travelling in other vehicles fired at the militants, but they managed to escape taking advantage of darkness. “The condition of the injured Major is stated to be critical,” an official said.

A woman was also killed in the crossfire. “She was hit by a stray bullet inside her house,” he said. Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attack.

A police officer said they were trying to ascertain whether the forces were given false information about militants’ presence at Kungnoo.