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Rocket attack kills police officer, wife in Kashmir

A police assistant sub-inspector and his wife were killed, and their child injured when rockets fired by unidentified militants hit a police camp at Palhalan in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district early Tuesday.

Elsewhere in the valley, three militants were among five people killed in the past 24 hours. Forces also captured three extremists and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition.

Official sources said militants fired at least four rockets towards the police's Special Operation Group camp. ASI Mohammad Rajab and his wife were killed on the spot.

Panic gripped a busy crossing in Srinagar when militants lobbed a hand grenade on a security force vehicle Tuesday afternoon. The grenade missed the target and exploded on the roadside, injuring eight people including a police constable.

Militants have been attacking security force and police camps of late. An army transit camp at Toto ground in Srinagar was hit with rockets recently.

An official spokesman said the body of a civilian, identified as Rehman Sheikh, was recovered from Basa Kuchan in the south Kashmir district of Pulwama Monday evening.

''Militants shot at and wounded one Ghulam Hassan Bhat at Zoonimar in the downtown city last evening when he was returning from a local mosque after offering prayers. Bhat later died in hospital,'' he added.

The spokesman said at least two persons, including a police constable were injured in a militant hand grenade attack at Safa Kadal in Srinagar, while militants and security forces exchanged fire at Nunar Ganderbal Monday evening.

Security forces also killed three militants, including a foreigner, in two separate incidents the same evening. Three AK-56 rifles, a grenade-launcher with three grenades, three magazines, two wireless sets and 180 rounds were recovered from the slain militants.

Security forces captured three militants and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition -- including six disposable rocket launchers, three 107-mm rockets, 59 rocket projectile guns, 49 boosters, 149 grenades, 3.6 kg of explosives, 50 sticks of gelatine, nine anti-personnel mines and 11,500 rounds of AK rifles - in overnight operations across the valley, the spokesman added.

UNI

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