Two truck drivers shot dead by terrorists in Shopian; third incident in 10 days

Terrorists Thursday struck for the third time in 10 days in south Kashmir's militancy-hit Shopian district killing two non-Kashmiri truck drivers, who had gone to ferry loads of apples, officials said.

"It's an unfortunate incident. The truck drivers had ventured into interior areas without informing the security forces," a senior official said.

The official said that bodies of two drivers had been recovered while another injured was being evacuated to hospital in Srinagar.

Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh said in the evening, terrorists fired at trucks near Chittargam in Shopian and injured three drivers.

The terrorists stopped the three trucks bearing registration number of Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab and started indiscriminate firing at the drivers who made an unsuccessful attempt to flee the area.

The terrorists also torched two of the trucks.

One of the dead has been identified as Mohmmed Illiyas, a resident of Alwar in Rajasthan, while the injured has been identified as Jeevan from Hoshiarpur in Punjab. The identity of the other deceased is being ascertained.

Officials said police teams have been fanned out in the area to nab the culprits.

On October 14, two terrorists, including a suspected Pakistani national, shot dead the driver of a truck having Rajasthan registration and assaulted an orchard owner in Shopian district. The driver was identified as Sharief Khan.

Two days later, Punjab-based apple trader Charanjeet Singh was killed and Sanjeev injured when terrorists attacked them in Shopian district.