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Five persons including three police officials were killed when a militant stormed a camp of the special operations group at Palhallan Pattan on the Srinagar Baramullah road in north Kashmir on Monday afternoon.
Police sources in Srinagar said a Fidayeen (suicide squad) attacker stormed the heavily guarded camp after opening fire on the sentry at the main gate.
However the sentry ducked but the bullets hit a police official, who died at the main gate. Later the militant entered the camp firing from his assault rifle.
He targetted two police officials nearby. "He opened fire from close range on both officers including inspector Karnail Singh, who was in-charge of the camp, killing both on the spot," said a police officer at Baramullah.
Sources said Singh, sub-inspector Mohammad Amin and assistant sub-inspector Mohammad Sultan died on the spot.
Sources said a sentry manning a bunker inside tried to engage the militant. However, another police guard jumped out and fired at the militant. In the gun battle the militant was killed.
Sources said in the exchange of fire a civilian Abdul Rashid Ganaie, who was passing on the road outside, also died.
Senior police and army officers rushed to the spot along with heavy reinforcements. The area around the camp was sealed and traffic halted on the highway.
High tension gripped the area. Sources said the body of the militant wearing a pheran (Kashmiri robe) was taken to the police station. An AK-47 rifle, one magazine and four hand-grenades were recovered from the spot.
In another incident militants attacked a SOG vehicle with bombs and assault rifles resulting in serious injuries to two cops. In the retaliatory firing by the SOG, a civilian was killed.
On Monday evening, militants hurled a hand-grenade on a Border Security Force picket at Hari Singh High street resulting in serious injuries to 22 persons including three members of the BSF. The injured were immediately shifted to hospital.
The condition of some is stated to be serious. Senior police officers have rushed to the spot.
An army captain and a JCO were killed when the vehicle in which they were travelling hit a land mine in Phagu village near Banihal in Jammu region, police sources said.
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