SRINAGAR: An Army major was killed and four other soldiers, including an officer of the same rank, were injured in a gunfight with militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Anantnag district on Monday.
One militant was also killed in the clash in Bidoora village of Anantnag’s Acchabal area, the officials said.
Meanwhile, six Army soldiers and two civilian passersby were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in neighbouring Pulwama district on Monday evening.
The police officials said that the militants triggered the IED blast at Aarihal as an Army ALS (Ashok Leyland Stallion 4x4 truck) drove through this village of Pulwama at around 6 pm. They said that the militants also opened fire at the vehicle, before fleeing from the scene.
At least six jawans of the Army’s 44 Rashtriya Rifles on board and two civilians were injured, they said adding that the condition of three of soldiers is stated to be critical.
The officials said Major Ketan Sharma was killed and three other soldiers, including an officer, were injured in a fire fight that broke out in Anantnag’s Bidoora village early Monday after the Army’s 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Jammu & Kashmir police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid siege.
The encounter at Bidoora and the attack on the Army vehicle at Aarihal took place a day after the authorities sounded a security high alert in the Valley.
