Three CRPF personnel injured as terrorists strike in Kulgam

Three CRPF personnel were injured when two motorcycle-borne terrorists opened fire at a security checkpoint in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday, triggering a massive search operation involving the Army, CRPF and J&K Police to track down the attackers.

The injured personnel were immediately shifted to Anantnag Medical College Hospital for treatment. Following the attack, a general alert was sounded across Kulgam and adjoining areas, while joint teams of the Army, CRPF and J&K Police cordoned off the area and launched searches.

According to official sources, the attack took place around 2.15 pm in the Akhran area near Mir Bazar when two terrorists riding a motorcycle fired at a CRPF party belonging to the 46th Battalion.

The attack assumes significance as Kulgam has witnessed several counter-terror operations in its upper reaches and forested belts. The district had last witnessed a major terror attack on July 31, when terrorists killed two labourers in the Kelam area.

Senior Army, CRPF and J&K Police officials reached the spot to supervise the operation.

Parts of Kulgam district, such as Mir Bazar, Qazigund and Shamsipora, are near key transit corridors connecting the Kashmir Valley to Jammu. Road-opening parties and checkpoints are sometimes targeted by terrorists in hit-and-run firing incidents or grenade attacks.

The upper reaches and forested belts of Kulgam district, such as Akhal, have periodically served as terrorist hideouts, leading to extended joint operations involving the J&K Police, the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles, the CRPF and Para Commandos.