MUZAFFARABAD – A Rangers personnel was martyred and another seriously injured when armed members of a banned Joint Awami Action Committee group opened fire on law enforcement personnel during a road clearance operation in Azad Kashmir.
According to reports, snipers from the group opened fire on security personnel during a clearance operation to reopen the Sarsawa-Tarar Khel road.
Rangers soldier Shah Nawaz was shot in the chest and succumbed to his injuries, while Lance Naik Bilal sustained a bullet wound to the shoulder and was seriously injured.
The martyred soldier, Shah Nawaz, belonged to Khairpur, Sindh, according to the report.
The clearance operation was launched following strong demands from local residents to reopen blocked roads amid severe difficulties in transportation and shortages of food and other essential supplies.
Security personnel came under attack as the operation was being carried out to restore access to areas affected by road blockages.
Experts described the use of modern weapons and explosive materials against security personnel by the armed group as a form of planned terrorism.
They said the sacrifices of security forces underscore the need to ensure and protect the writ of the state, calling for immediate, strict and indiscriminate legal action against armed groups involved in attacks on state institutions.
