2 injured in J&K highway firing (Second Lead)

Jammu : A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper and a forest guard were injured on Wednesday when militants attacked a checkpost on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district, police said.

The brief shootout took place near Jhajjar Nalla around 8 a.m. when police intercepted a truck travelling from Jammu to Srinagar. The militants were travelling in the truck and one of them opened fire at paramilitary troopers and the forest gaurd, the police said.

The militants who had two AKs and a pistol escaped in the melee, a police official said here.

"The three militants abandoned the vehicle after the firing and fled towards bushes nearby. A cordon and search operation has been launched to trace them," the officer said. Alert was also sounded on the 300-km-long highway after the incident.

The police said the militants were aged between 18 and 22 and urged people to alert the police if they were spotted. Two of the militants were wearing pant and shirt and one was in pathan dress.