Militants kill Indian army colonel in Kashmir
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Srinagar, India, June 23 , IRNA -- A senior Indian Army officer was killed in a militant ambush in north Kashmir Wednesday morning, police sources said adding another officer was injured in a separate gunbattle with the militants late last night.
Colonel Neeraj Sood was critically wounded after his cavalcade was ambushed by militants in Lolab valley, 105 kms from here in the northern Kupwara district, last evening, they said.
The ambush triggered a fierce gunbattle in the area and according to police sources more reinforcements have been rushed to the battle scene.
The injured colonel was flown to army hospital in Kupwara where he died this morning.
His body will be transferred to Delhi later Wednesday for cremation , an official said.
Colonel Sood who was commanding officer of elite 18 Rashtriya (Natioanl) Rifles, is the senior most army officer killed by Kashmiri militants this year.
Meanwhile in southern Poonch district a captain of the army was injured in a gunbattle with the militants last evening.
Captain Nikhil Bismit of Indian army’s 12 Grenadiers came under attack in Bhanot area near the Line of Control (LoC), an army spokesman said.
He received bullet injuries and was shifted to a military hospital in Poonch.
Earlier militants launched coordinated attacks on paramilitary forces pickets in Sopore town on Monday killing one and injuring three policemen.
The latest escalation in militant violence has come in the wake of rising tide of anti-India protests across Kashmir over the spate of civilian killings at the hands of security forces in recent weeks.
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