Five policemen and four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were injured when militants attacked a joint deployment in Tral town, in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, on Friday.

Police said that the incident occurred near the Court road Tral.

“Militants lobbed a grenade followed by firing on the security forces from a crowd when they were busy with law and order duties, resulting in injuries to the nine security forces personnel," a police spokesperson said.

He said the forces exercised maximum restraint to prevent any civilian casualties. The injured were immediately shifted to hospital, where their condition is said to be stable.

Reports said immediately after the attack, security forces cordoned off the area to nab the attackers.

A local news gathering agency CNS quoted a Hizb-ul-Mujhadeen spokesperson who claimed the Hizb's responsibility for the attack.

The attack came barely a few hours after security forces killed four militants, including the head of the Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK), during a gunfight in Anantnag district.

Earlier on Tuesday, the army had killed three Jaish-e-Mohammed militants, including its operational commander, in an encounter in Tral.