Kashmir militants kill one police official, injure another

There have been five such attacks against policeman across Kashmir this year.

Insurgents killed a special police officer (SPO) and gravely wounded another in south Kashmir on Saturday, police said, underscoring a latest militant tactic to target cops in shoot-and-scoot attacks.

The back-to-back attacks follow the murder of Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh, another SPO, in his home in Bijbehara of Anantnag. (File photo)

SPO Mohammad Ashraf Mir was shot at near Muran Chowk in Pulwama district in the afternoon and he died of multiple bullet wounds in hospital.

According to police, Mir from Pulwama was off duty when he was attacked. A resident of Chanapora in Srinagar, Mir had gone to his hometown.

In the morning, SPO Trilok Singh, who was on traffic duty, was shot at by suspected militants at Khanabal Chowk in Anantnag district. The cop is now recuperating in a hospital.

The back-to-back attacks follow the murder of Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh, another SPO, in his home in Bijbehara of Anantnag. His wife, who tried to save him from the gunmen, was hit. She is in hospital and her condition is said to be critical.

There have been five such attacks against solitary policeman across Kashmir this year.

On February 25, two constables were killed in separate attacks and their service rifles were taken away.

“We are assessing the situation. So far counter-terrorism operations are going at a good speed. The militant leadership has been targeted and at the same time there are many boys who have returned (home). These things are frustrating the militants. That is why we are seeing police getting targeted at soft locations,” Pani said.

According to unnamed officials, 34 militants have been killed in anti-militancy operations in Kashmir Valley in the first three months of this year. Only 17 were killed during the same period last year.