Two Armymen killed in J&K firing, hunt on for gunmen

Indian army soldiers stand guard inside their army base. (Photo: Reuters/File)

TWO SOLDIERS of the Army's Quick Reaction Team succumbed to bullet injuries Thursday afternoon after two militants opened indiscriminate fire at a convoy deployed on the road at Zainakote in Srinagar's suburbs, less than 2 km from the headquarters of the counter-insurgency Kilo Force.

J&K Police sources told The Indian Express that a joint search operation has been launched to nab the gunmen who were armed with automatic weapons, wearing combat fatigues and travelling in a Maruti car in the high-security zone. Police suspect that the attackers were Pakistani terrorists from the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

“Terrorists fired indiscriminately at the Quick Reaction Team of Indian Army in Aban Shah Chowk, HMT, Khushipora, Srinagar today afternoon. Two soldiers were critically injured and were evacuated to the nearest medical facility. However, they succumbed to their injuries,” Defence spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia said.

J&K Police said the soldiers who died were from the Territorial Army and identified them as Sepoy Ratan (163 Battalion) and Sepoy Deshmukh (101 Battalion).

The Kashmir Valley, especially Srinagar city and its outskirts,…