Cop killed, another injured in attacks by suspected militants
MOHAMMAD ASHRAF MIR, A SPECIAL POLICE OFFICER, WAS FIRED UPON BY SUSPECTED MILITANTS IN PULWAMA; HE SUCCUMBS TO INJURIES IN HOSPITAL
South Kashmir witnessed two back to back hit and run attacks against policemen on Saturday, in which an offduty cop was killed and another injured.
Police said the special police officer (SPO) Mohammad Ashraf Mir was fired upon by suspected militants near Muran Chowk in Pulwama district in the afternoon on Saturday.
A police official said Mir was grievously wounded in the attack and was shifted to a hospital. He later succumbed to multiple injuries. The officer said Mir, a resident of Pulwama district who resided at Chanapora in Srinagar currently, was off duty.
In another incident, special police officer (SPO) Trilok Singh on traffic duty was fired upon by suspected militants at Khanabal Chowk of Anantnag district on Saturday morning. The cop has been seriously injured and is recuperating at a hospital.
Anantnag and Pulwama are two neighbouring districts of south Kashmir.
The two back-to-back attacks come two days after special police officer Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh was targeted and killed by gunmen at his residence in Bijbehara, Anantnag. His wife who tried to save him from the gunmen was also hit and is struggling for her life at a hospital.
There have been five hit and run cases against lone policemen across Kashmir this year. On February 25, two police constables were killed in two separate attacks and their service rifles were taken away.
Kashmir inspector general of police (IGP) SP Pani said militants were getting frustrated due to the high pace of counterinsurgency operations by security forces.
“We are assessing the situation. The counter terrorism operations are going on at a good speed currently. The militant leadership has been targeted and at the same time there are many boys who have returned. These things are frustrating the militants,” Pani said.
Officials said so far 34 militants have been killed in antimilitancy operations in the Valley in first three months of this year, as against 17 last year.