SRINAGAR: In second major attack within 24 hours, militants on Saturday attacked a police team in South Kashmir district of Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, killing two cops including an officer.
A police officer said two militants armed with AK-47 rifles attacked the police team at general bus stand in Anantnag town at around 11.25 am.
“The militants fired towards the policemen from automatic weapons. Two policemen, including an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), were killed,” he said.
The deceased were identified as ASI Bashir Ahmad Ahanger and Constable Reyaz Ahmad Sheikh.
The police official said the militants managed to escape after carrying out the attack.
The militants, however, were captured on camera while fleeing the spot. In the purported picture, which has gone viral on social media, militants can be seen freely walking on the road after the attack. One of them, who appeared to be clean-shaven, is carrying a rucksack bag and an AK-47 rifle. Another had a beard and was in blue jeans. He was was carrying a rifle.
After the attack, police, paramilitary personnel and army men laid siege to the area. However, by the time the search operation was launched, militants had managed to escape. A police official said they are trying to ascertain the identity of the militants involved in the attack. “We too have seen picture of the militants. We are using all our resources to identify the militants”. “A manhunt has been launched to track them down,” he said.
ASI Bashir Ahmad is survived by wife and 11 year-old-son while Constable Reyaz is survived by 30 year-old-wife, 11 year-old-son, two daughters of seven and nine years of age besides elderly parents and an unmarried sister.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has condemned the militant attack. “The recent attacks once again show desperate levels to which the militants can go to disrupt peace and normalcy in the State. Violence is a zero sum game which does not solve any problem but gives rise to more complexities,” she said adding that only the weak resort to killings.
Mehbooba praised the security forces and the police for exercising restraint to ensure that the innocent civilians don’t fall victim to any retaliatory action.
The attack was the second major militant attack in Anantnag district, which is going to witness bypolls for Anantnag Assembly seat on June 22. Earlier, a group of Hizbul Mujahideen militants had attacked a BSF convoy in nantnag district on Friday. Three BSF men were killed in the attack.
Meanwhile, JKLF Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik was on Saturday taken into custody after he tried to take out a protest rally against alleged high-handedness of police during a raid on his Maisuma residence here.