Srinagar, July 7: An Indian army soldier was killed and another injured when militants fired on them from point blank range in Indian administered Kashmir on Saturday.
“Two army men were withdrawing money from an ATM at Kadalbal, Pampore, some 13 kms south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir, when militants fired from point blank range towards them at around 1510 hours. Both the army men sustained critical bullet injuries and were taken to the army hospital,” police sources said.
They said Sepoy Deepak Kumar succumbed to injuries in the hospital. “He had sustained bullet injuries in the neck. Another soldiers identified as Trilok Nath is undergoing treatment at army’s base hospital at Badamibagh Cantonment,” they said.
Sources said the militants decamped with service rifle of one of the army men before fleeing from the spot.
The shoot-out triggered panic with people running helter skelter. Immediately after the firing incident, army and policemen laid siege around the area to flush out the militants responsible for the attack. However, no arrests were reported.
Pakistan based militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba claimed responsibility of the attack. A spokesman of the outfit said militants of the outfit carried out the attack and snatched a rifle from a soldier.
This was the third such shooting incident in south Kashmir during past five days.
On July 3, militants shot dead two policemen from point blank range in separate attacks at Rajpora chowk in Pulwama and Yaripora in South Kashmir.