Official sources said that suspected militants opened fire on a joint patrolling party of CRPF and Police at Noorbagh near Ahad Bab’s crossing in which five paramilitary personnel sustained critical injuries.

“The injured were rushed to adjacent Sub District Hospital where two CRPF men were declared brought dead by doctors and another succumbed few minutes later taking toll to three,” they added.

“Two other injured were later airlifted to 92 Base hospital at Badamibagh containment hospital for further treatment,” sources further added.

Senior Superintendent of Police Sopore Javid Ahmad confirmed that three CRPF jawans were killed and two injured in the militant attack. He said militants attacked a joint patrolling party of CRPF’s 179th battalion and police in the outskirts of Sopore town and a vehicle of CRPF came under attack. Soon after the incident, security forces launched searches in the area to nab the assailants.

In a statement, CRPF confirmed that three personnel died in the attack and two got injured. The slain troopers were identified as Head Constable Rajeev Sharma (42), Constable C. B. Bhakare (38) and Contable Parmar Satpal (28).

Meanwhile, Head Constable Biswajit Ghosh and Constable Javaid have been injured in the attack.

“We paid our rich tributes to the martyrs who made supreme sacrifices in the line of duty. Police has registered a case and officers are investigating the circumstances of  the attack,” the statement said. This is the third attack against the paramilitary force in the Kashmir valley within a week.