Srinagar/Anantnag
Militants unleashed a fresh wave of violence on Friday, leaving a soldier, woman and an elderly man dead and three others injured across the Valley.

The day began with the killing of a soldier in a gunfight in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district in the wee hours.

The gunfight erupted at Kralgund in Handwara, some 90 km from Srinagar, when joint teams of the police, Army and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation after inputs about militant presence.

“As the searches were being carried out, militants hiding in the area opened fire on the forces, critically wounding a soldier,” the police said. “The soldier was shifted to the Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, where he succumbed.”

The Srinagar-based defence spokesman identified the slain soldier as Rifleman Ram Babu Shahi, 25, a resident of Chitwan in Nepal.

Sources said militants managed to escape after the shooting. A massive combing operation was later launched to trace the militants.

A brief gunfight also broke out at Mir Mohalla in Bandipora district during a cordon and search operation. However, again the militants managed to give the security forces the slip. During the CASO, clashes broke out between the protesters and the forces.

A police officer from Pulwama said 38-year-old Shameema Akhtar of Koil village was shot dead in Drubgam village. The incident, according to the police, took place about 1 pm today.

“The woman was visiting her parents in Drubgam. She was shot just outside her parent’s house,” the officer said. “Preliminary reports suggest that the Hizbul Mujahideen was behind the killing.”

Not more than 15 minutes after the woman was shot dead, a 70-year-old civilian was killed and three others were injured in a grenade attack in the Awantipora area of Pulwama district .