3 troopers killed in Hizb ambush in Kashmir, CM calls it senseless

Srigar/Jammu, June 3: Three BSF troopers were killed and 10 other persons, among them civilians, were injured — three critically — on Friday in a Hizb-ul-Mujhadeen attack on a security forces convoy in south Kashmir’s Bijbehara town, police sources said.

A police official here in Srigar told IANS that “a BSF convoy coming from Jammu to Srigar was ambushed by militants on the highway in Bijbehara town of Antg district”.

Militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujhadeen claimed the responsibility of the attack. Its operatiol spokesperson Burhanuddin told a local news agency that “several Indian troopers were killed in the attack carried out by a special squad of the outfit”.

“Besides the death of these troopers, many more were critically injured,” he said, vowing “the attacks on the security establishments will continue”.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti strongly condemned the militant attack in her home town.

Immediately after the attack, she spoke to Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) K.K. Sharma and expressed anguish and sorrow over the death of three personnel in the attack.

Following the attack, heavy exchange of fire took place in the town situated on the 300-km Jammu-Srigar tiol Highway No.1A, according to eyewitnesses.

The injured BSF troopers were shifted to a Srigar hospital, the police sources added.

The attackers were holed up inside the government sub-district hospital building, who later were believed to have fled the spot.

The eyewitnesses said security forces immediately cordoned off the area after the attack which sparked panic in the area, however, the traffic on the busy tiol highway was later restored. (ians)