Srinagar: As many as 15 people, mostly security personnel, have been killed as Kashmir Valley is once again witnessing spurt in militant attacks and, on the other hand, the security forces stepped up heat on them. The slain include two officers and eight other security personnel, four militants and one civilian.

Meanwhile, two persons were injured when militants hurled a hand grenade towards a police station in Pulwama town on Tuesday evening.

A statement issued by the police here said, “Terrorists today evening lobbed a grenade in Pulwama resulting in injuries to two civilians. Police immediately reached the spot.”

Witnesses said that the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the road outside the police station, causing injuries to passersby. Among half-a-dozen Army jawans who were injured when targeted by militants while travelling in an ALS (Ashok Leyland Stallion 4×4 truck) through Aarihal area of Pulwama district on Monday.

They said that one of the two militants killed during a fire fight with security forces in Waghoma village of Bijbehara area of southern Anantnag district on Tuesday was Sajjad Maqbool Bhat, who arranged the sedan, laden with explosives, used in the suicide bombing of a convoy of the CRPF in Pulwama in February this year, and the other was Tawseef Bhat, the handler of the suicide bomber. Both were associated with Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) outfit, they said.

An Army jawan identified as Rifleman Anil Kumar Jaswal was also killed and two other jawans were injured during the encounter at Waghoma.

Earlier on Monday, Major Ketan Sharma was killed and three other soldiers including an officer were injured in a fire fight with militants.