Civilian injured as militants open fire on ITBP vehicles on Srinagar-Jammu highway

The attack took place on the Kashmir highway at Banihal area, a region from where the Amarnath Yatra passes

A civilian was injured on Saturday morning when militants opened fire on a vehicle carrying ITBP jawans on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Anantnag district.

security personnel at the site where the attack took place. They have launched a hunt for the gunmen who are yet to be identified. (ANI/Twitter)

The incident was the second attack on security forces in Anantnag’s Qazigund area.

According to police, the militants targeted two Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) vehicles, but hit a car behind them.

The injured civilian was identified as Arif of Anantnag, who was on his way to work at a construction company at Banihal. He was hurt in the back, police said.

Residents around the area where the attack took place said they heard gunshots soon after morning prayers at 5am.

Twenty empty cases of AK ammunition were recovered from the spot.

The army launched a search for the militants.

STRATEGIC HIGHWAY

The highway on which the attack took place is key to the connectivity in the region.

On June 3, two soldiers were killed and four injured in a militant ambush on an army convoy near a toll post at Qazigund, 70 km from Srinagar, on the highway.

The attack comes ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra, scheduled to begin on June 29. The Yatra passes through Banihal to enter Kashmir.