Rebel guns down cops in high security Srinagar locality

SRINAGAR: Two policemen were shot dead today by a terrorist in Srinagar’s Baghat Barzulla locality.

The shootout, the second such incident in three days, was captured on CCTV cameras in the area. Baghat Barzulla is along the high-security airport road.

The victims have been identified as constables Sohail Ahmed and Mohammad Yousuf of Jammu and Kashmir Police. They were at a tea stall when the gunman fired indiscriminately from a sophisticated weapon from a close range.

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The two policemen were rushed to a hospital. Both, however, succumbed to their injuries. The policemen were stated to be on duty when they were shot at. Security forces have launched a combing operation to track down the assailant.

In CCTV footage, a person identified as Saquib, is seen pulling out an assault rifle concealed inside his pheran, a loose over-garment worn during winters, and shooting at the policemen. The gunman then fled the scene even before people could make out what had happened.

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Police was yet to ascertain Saquib’s affiliation to any rebel organisation.

On Wednesday, terrorists shot at and injured the son of a restaurant owner in the high security Durganag area of the city. The attacks have come close on the heels of a 24-member delegation of diplomats from various countries, including the European Union, visited Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday to assess the ground situation in the Union Territory.