J&K: 3 CRPF personnel, 1 militant killed in terrorist attack in Anantnag

3 CRPF men and a SHO have been injured in the attack

India Kashmir Indian General Representational image | AP

Three CRPF men and a militant were killed in a militant attack at Khanabal in South Kashmir's Anantnag on Wednesday afternoon. The militant was killed in retaliatory action by the CRPF.

According to reports, the militants fired at a joint naka party of the state police and CRPF near Oxford School at Khanabal at 4.50pm. Three CRPF men and a station house officer (SHO) of Saddar, Thana Arshid Khan, have been injured in the attack.

The attack comes 18 days before the annual Amarnath Yatra that would last for 42 days. Reports suggested that of the six injured CRPF men, three succumbed to injuries at the district hospital in Anantnag. Khan was shifted to Srinagar for treatment.

CRPF spokesman Sanjay Singh told THE WEEK that the militants came in a vehicle and fired at the CRPF men of 116 battalions. The CRPF men were deployed for law and order duties, he added.

Militant outfit Al Umar Mujahideen has claimed the responsibility of the attack. The police, however, believe the attack was carried out by some other outfit since Al Umar has not been active in Kashmir.

This is the first attack on security forces after the Pulwama suicide attack in which 40 Army personnel were killed when a Jaish-e-Mohammad militant rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into one of the vehicles of a CRPF convoy.