Three soldiers and a woman were killed in a militant attack in a south Kashmir village on Thursday.
Two officers, a Lt Colonel, and two more soldiers were also injured in the attack owned by Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest militant group in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources said that the militants managed to escape after carrying out the attack. However, an extra contingent of forces was later rushed to the area to combat the insurgents hiding in the village.
In the exchange of fire, a civilian, Jana Begum, also sustained bullet injuries. Medical sources said Jana succumbed to the bullet wounds before she could be given medical aid.
Locals Allege Army of Ransacking Properties
The locals of Chitragam in Shopian district have alleged the army of ransacking their property and arresting four civilians after the militants attack.
Kashmiri Soldier Martyrd in Ghastly Attack
Lance Naik Gh Mohi ud Din Rather, Sapper Sreejith MJ and Sepoy Vikas Singh Gurjar were martyred in the terror attack.
Lance Naik Gh Mohi ud Din Rather, a Kashmiri from Punchpora village in Bijbehara tehsil of Anantnag is survived by a paralysed father, mother, a two year old son and wife.
Lance Naik was the only source of income for his family, and had served the army for 15 years. His funeral will be held tomorrow.
Hizbul Mujahideen Claims Responsibility
According to a statement by the Army’s Northern Command the security forces were returning from a search operation when they were ambushed near Chitragam village of Shopian district, some 50 km from Srinagar.
"Reinforcements were rushed to the area to track down the attackers," a police officer said.
A caller identifying himself as Burhan-ud-Din, a Hizbul spokesman, told a Srinagar-based news agency that the group carried out the attack.
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