Militants attack Army officer in Kashmir

A senior army officer of the counter-insurgency Kilo Force had a close shave on Saturday night when militants attacked his vehicle in the Rafiabad area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

Police said ultras fired at the vehicle of a colonel commanding a Rashtriya Rifles (RR) battalion at Khushipora in Rafiabad, 65 km from here, while he was going about on routine duties.   “The militants hurled grenades and fired indiscriminately on the Rakhshak vehicle of the Colonel. While several bullets hit the bulletproof vehicle, the colonel survived the bid on his life. The Army fired back and the militants fled under the cover of darkness, taking advantage of the forest terrain,” said the police. Sources said the colonel had gone to visit one of his companies based deep in the forests and was returning to his headquarters at around 9:15 pm when he was fired upon near the Khushipora village of Rafiabad.

“Militants had taken positions on a hillock overlooking the road for the attack,” said the police, adding that it was a well-planned attack.

The Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant outfit claimed responsibility for the attack; its spokesman called some local newspapers to inform this. Militants have targeted a senior Army officer in Kashmir after a long time.

Meanwhile, militants killed an 85-year-old man, father of a People’s Democratic Party sarpanch, in the Awantipora area of South Kashmir’s Awantipora area.