3 soldiers, 1 civilian killed as clashes intensify in Kashmir
Officials suspect two of the three militants who attacked army camp were killed in gunfight
SRINAGAR :Three soldiers, including an officer, were killed on Thursday when militants stormed a garrison in south Kashmir’s Kupwara.
Hours after the attack, which ended in the killings of the two militants, a civilian was shot dead when forces opened fire on a crowd of protesters demanding the bodies of the camp attackers be handed over to them.
Clashes erupted in the area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Thursday, shortly after a gunfight between militants and government forces came to an end. People took to streets to demand the bodies of two slain militants for burial.
In addition to the death of 50-year-old Mohammad Yusuf, four people were injured in the army firing.
Sources said five injured soldiers have been shifted to a hospital in Srinagar. The slain soldiers have been identified as Captain Ayush Yadav, Nayak B V Ramana, Subedar Bhoop Singh Gujjar.
According to officials, the militants attacked the installation in the wee hours but were quickly challenged by the security forces.
The search and combing operations were on for hours even though army claimed to have ended the encounter in half an hour after the attack. Security forces believe three militants might have been involved in the encounter, while two were killed another managed to escape.
Sources however say, the militant is likely to have been injured.
“The entire operation was over in 35 minutes but we have recovered three AK 47 rifles. The additional rifle means there was one more militant and the search is on for the same,’’ Col Saurab Joshi said.
He said bodies of the two militants were retrieved from the site.
The attack came amid heightened tension across the valley since April 9, when eight people were killed by police and paramilitary forces during bypolls to the Srinagar constituency.