Daijiworld Media Network - Srinagar

Srinagar, Nov 11: Three personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured after two motorcycle-borne terrorists opened fire on a security party in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Wednesday afternoon.

According to official sources, the terrorists fired at the CRPF personnel around 2.15 pm in the Akhran area near Mir Bazar before fleeing from the spot. The attack triggered panic in the area, following which a general alert was sounded across Kulgam and adjoining areas.

The injured personnel, belonging to the CRPF's 46th Battalion, were shifted to Anantnag Medical College Hospital for treatment, an official said.

Joint security forces, comprising the Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police, immediately launched a search operation after cordoning off the area to track down the attackers. Senior officials from the Army, CRPF and J&K Police reached the spot to supervise the operation.

Further details of the incident are awaited.

Areas such as Mir Bazar, Qazigund and Shamsipora in Kulgam district are located close to important transit corridors connecting the Kashmir Valley with Jammu. Road-opening parties and security checkpoints in these areas have occasionally been targeted by terrorists through hit-and-run firing and grenade attacks.

The upper reaches and forested belts of Kulgam, particularly Akhal, have also periodically served as terrorist hideouts, prompting prolonged joint operations involving the J&K Police, the Army's Rashtriya Rifles, CRPF and Para Commandos.

The latest attack comes after a gap in terrorist violence in the district since July 31, when terrorists killed two labourers in the Kelam area of Kulgam.

Following that attack, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced an ex gratia assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased labourer, while the administration provided an additional relief of Rs 6 lakh to the families.