Army patrol attacked in north Kashmir’s volatile Hajin town

There was brief exchange of fire, following which militants fled

Sad that while our country took the lead in starting peace initiatives, Pak has shown no respect whatsoever for the holy month of Ramzan. MEHOBOOBA MUFTI, Jammu & Kashmir CM, on border firing

SRINAGAR: A day after the Centre announced unilateral ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir, an army patrol was attacked on Friday by militants in north Kashmir’s volatile Hajin following which there was exchange of gunfire in the town. No casualties were reported.

While the army did retaliate after the attack, no cordon and search operation (CASO) was launched in the area. Bandipora SSP Sheikh Zulfkar Azad said militants attacked an army patrol in Hajin during Thursday night. “The army retaliated. No cordon or search operation was launched in the area.”

A senior army officer said army patrol of the 13 RR was moving in the area when militants fired on it. “The army men only retaliated and returned to the nearby camp. There was no causality,” he said and added that usually army used to launch operation soon after the attack, however, no operation was launched this time. “The soldiers who came under attack were on a routine movement around the camp site,” he said.

Locals said exchange of fire took place around 3am and continued for around five to six minutes in the town. No militant outfit, however, claimed responsibility for the attack on the army patrol.

Police had earlier said a civilian, Hilal Ahmad Parray, was abducted by militants and then killed in an orchard on the outskirts of Hajin on Thursday. They had blamed Lashkar militants for the civilian’s killing.

Parray was the fifth civilian who was killed by unidentified militants in past two months at Hajin. The civilian killings have spread panic in the town and its adjoining villages.

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