Militants on Wednesday attacked an Army convoy in north Kashmir’s Kupwara District injuring four soldiers. This is the second attack in three weeks on an Army convoy in north Kashmir where the Army did not suspend counter-insurgency operations due to public unrest, unlike in the southern parts of the Valley, where they were temporarily halted for several weeks.
Police said the convoy was on its way from Kupwara to Srinagar via Baramulla. Defence spokesman Colonel NN Joshi said that militants ambushed the convoy around 7:30 am at Wodhpora near Kralgund area of langate. The injured soldiers were shifted to the Army’s Base Hospital in Srinagar for treatment. They are reportedly in a stable condition. Reports said the search operation was launched in the area. However, the militants managed to flee from the scene.
Hizbul Mujahideen, the largest militant outfit in Kashmir, with considerable local cadre, owned the responsibility for the attack. On August 17, two soldiers and a policeman were killed and an equal number of soldiers were injured when Hizbul Mujahideen militants ambushed the Army convoy in the wee hours on the Srinagar Baramulla Highway at Khwaja Bagh in north Kashmir’s Baramulla District. The Army had rescheduled the convoy’s movement during the initial phase of current public uprising. However, with meticulous deployment and area domination, vehicle movement has been restored during the day.
Northern Commander lt-Gen DS Hooda earlier said that counter-insurgency operations were not suspended in north Kashmir unlike in south Kashmir areas where they were resumed in “right earnest”. However, since July 9, no successful anti-insurgency operation has been conducted in south Kashmir. last month, the Army received tip-off on presence of four militants in Noorpora area of Tral sub-district but the militants got “safe passage” when locals came out in large numbers to prevent the operation. This trend is becoming a major challenge for the Army in the region.
Meanwhile, clashes, protests and shutdown continued for the consecutive 61st day across Kashmir Valley even as significant traffic movement was witnessed in several areas of capital Srinagar.
A police spokesman said that barring some stray stone pelting incidents, the overall situation remained under control throughout the Valley till filing of this report. “Four incidents of stone pelting were reported from Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Kupwara,” police said, adding at these places, miscreants assembled on the roads and attempted to disturb the movement of people by pelting stones at vehicles, police and security force deployments.
He said at Kulgam about 300 miscreants assembled at Mirhama and pelted stones on police and security force deployments and set ablaze Jawahar Navodaya Vidyala School which suffered damages. “Miscreants also hurled a petrol bomb on State Rest House, Chawalgam, which resulted in fire and partial damages to the rest house,” he said.
locals said that an elderly villager died of cardiac arrest when tear smoke shells exploded in Chawalgam Village to disperse protesters.