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Militants gun down SPO in north Kashmir
Azhar Qadri/TNS

Grieving relatives of SPO Mudssir Ahmad Dar in Sopore on Sunday. Tribune photo

Srinagar, July 28
A Special Police Officer (SPO) was shot dead by militants at his home near north Kashmir’s volatile Sopore town on Sunday morning.

Mudasir Ahmad Dar, a contractual employee in the state police department, was shot dead by “pistol-borne militants” at his residence in Ontoo-Hamam locality near Chanakan in Sopore town around 9.50 am, a police officer said.

The 25-year-old is survived by a widowed mother and two minor siblings, a police spokesman said. The police have registered a case and begun an investigation.

Dar is the second person to be attacked by militants in the vicinity of Sopore town in the last three days. On Friday afternoon, militants shot at and injured the Sarpanch of Krankshvan village near Sopore. Hizbul Mujahideen militants are believed to have been behind the recent spate in attacks, including those on policemen and Panchayat members in north Kashmir.

Sopore has been a hotbed of militancy until recently. Militant activity in the area diminished to a large extent after several high-profile militant commanders were killed in recent years. The militant network in Sopore also suffered a major setback when Lashkar-e-Toiba's top commander Fawad alias Fahadullah was arrested providing police a treasure-trove of information.

The Sunday morning killing of the SPO is the latest in a string of attacks targeting policemen and other security forces personnel this year. Twelve policemen have been killed this year, including eight who were killed in four separate attacks in north Kashmir.