Four policemen killed in Kashmir IED blast

Four policemen were killed while one was injured in a powerful blast in north Kashmir's Sopore town on Saturday.

Reports said that at around 10:05 am, the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by militants beneath a shop went off near Haaritar area of Sopore, 52 kms from here, resulting in injuries to four policemen.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital where all of them succumbed to injuries.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Munir Khan confirmed that four policemen were killed in the blast. He said that three shops were also damaged in the blast.

Three among the slain policemen were identified as ASI Irshad Ahmad from Doda, Muhammad Amin from Kupwara and Ghulam Nabi from Sopore. Soon after the attack army and paramilitary forces launched searches to nab the attackers.

The separatists had called for a shutdown in Sopore town on Saturday to mark the 25th anniversary of Sopore massacre in which 55 people were killed in alleged firing by Border Security Force (BSF) on this day in 1993. The authorities had deployed additional police and paramilitary CRPF men in the town to thwart any protests.

A senior police official said militants intentionally choose this day to target the police in Sopore. "They want to show their strength by carrying out such attacks. The separatists had already called for a shutdown in the town," he said.