Two soldiers were killed in an attack carried out by car-borne militants on the Srinagar-Baramulla National Highway on the outskirts of Srinagar on Thursday.
The attack coincided with the 12th anniversary of the Mumbai attack.
Crowded area
“Terrorists fired indiscriminately at a quick reaction team of the Army at Aban Shah Chowk, HMT, near Srinagar. Since it was a crowded area, troops exercised restraint to avoid any civilian casualties. However, two soldiers sustained injuries and later succumbed at a nearby hospital,” a Srinagar-based Army spokesman said.
The deceased were identified as Sepoy Ratan of the 163 Battalion Territorial Army and Sepoy Deshmukh of the 101 Battalion Territorial Army. Inspector-General of Police Vijay Kumar said three Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were involved in the attack.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that terrorists were travelling in a Maruti car and took undue advantage of the crowded place, while opening indiscriminate fire,” Mr. Kumar said.
Police sources said the vehicle was chased by the security forces but could not be traced immediately.
“An investigation is in progress and the officers continue to work to establish the full circumstances of this terror crime,” Mr. Kumar said.
A chopper was pressed into service to locate the militants and the vehicle. The police suspect the hand of non-local militants in the attack.
