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Suspected militants attack CRPF in Tral; Sopore search operation triggers protests in Palhallan

Srinagar: Suspected militants on Tuesday night attacked a para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Pulwama district while as a search operation launched in Sopore triggered protests in Palhallan area of Baramulla district.

The militants – who remained unidentified and unknown in number – hurled grenades at the CRPF camp in Tral town of Pulwama district in south of Srinagar.

Tral is situated near Awantipora on Srinagar-Jammu highway and is around 35 kilometres from Srinagar.

Two two grenades were lobbed at 180 battalion of the CRPF Camp followed by firing. There was no report of any casualty so far, a police official said.

However, reinforcements were rushed to the spot and searches have been launched.

It was the second attack on the camp in last five days.

Meanwhile, the Indian armed forces launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in Pazalpora area of Sopore in Baramulla district.

Sopore – popular as apple town – is situated on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad highway at a distance of 40 kilometres from Srinagar.

A joint party of army, police and the CRPF cordoned off the village after inputs about the presence of two suspected militants.

However, there was no immediate report of any confrontation between the two sides.

Following the reports of militant presence in the area, the Telecom Companies have suspended their services in and around Sopore following directions from the authorities.

“There is no cell phone service available in our area,” a local from Sopore said. However, he shared the information through broad-band based internet services.

As soon as the report of CASO in Sopore spread to Palhallan town, the people came out on roads and held protests.

A local said that a word has spread in the area that one militant believed to be present in Pazalpora area belongs to Palhallan.

The militant has been identified as Ashiq Ahmad Bhat. He is a two-year-old militant believed to be associated with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

“This rumour forced people to take to streets amid pro-freedom slogans,” he said, “protestors have reached the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad highway as the sloganeering goes on.”

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