Militants kill 4 policemen in J&K after forces gun down two top Hizb terrorists

On a day of mixed fortunes, terrorists shot four policemen dead in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir barely hours after two dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including the Valley's oldest surviving terrorist, were gunned down by security forces in neighbouring Anantnag.

"Terrorists fired indiscriminately upon a police party at Arhama in district Shopian," a police spokesman said. The four ill-fated policemen were caught unaware as they were repairing their vehicle, he added.

Pools of blood were seen at several spots at the site where militants carried out the attack.

"The martyred policemen were identified as Constable Ishfaq Ahmad Mir, Constable Javaid Ahmad Bhat, Constable Mohammad Iqbal Mir and SPO Adil Manzoor Bhat," the police spokesman said. Special Police Officer Bhat had turned 18 this March itself.

The terrorists mercilessly pumped bullets into the four policemen, leaving two dead on the spot. The other two were declared 'brought dead' by hospital authorities, an official said.

Director General of Police S P Vaid and IGP Pani visited Shopian and paid tributes to the policemen who fell to the bullets of the terrorists.

The attack on policemen had followed an early morning encounter in which two militants, including Altaf Ahmad Dar, also known as 'Altaf Kachroo' alias Moin of the Hizbul Mujahideen, were killed in the Anantnag area.

Significantly, Dar was considered to be the 'chief architect' of attacks on policemen in the Valley.

The attack comes barely days after the new Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik, took charge.

In an interview to PTI, Malik had lauded the work done by the Jammu and Kashmir Police but also acknowledged that policemen were themselves being targeted.

"I will be addressing the difficulties faced by the police on a war footing. I met the home minister and requested for providing accommodation to them. He has agreed and we will work out the plan soon," Malik had said.

The governor said the state police has played a wonderful role in countering militancy. "They have been the prime targets of terrorists. They have been able to break the backbone of militancy and we owe it to them."