At least three personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed in Sopore town in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday after militants opened fire at them, GNS news agency reported. Two CRPF men suffered injuries.

Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh told the news agency that the injured included the driver of the vehicle in which the jawans were travelling. The injured were evacuated to 92 Base Hospital in the area.

Soon after the incident, government forces launched a cordon and search operation to nab the culprits.

The deceased personnel were identified as Rajeev Sharma, 42, from Bihar; CB Bhakare, 38, from Buldhana in Maharashtra; and Parmar Satyapal Singh, 28, from Sabarkantha in Gujarat. Those injured were Javed Ahmed Amin and Biswajit Ghosh, both of whom suffered bullet injuries.

On Friday, two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district. The identities of the militants were not immediately ascertained.

Earlier this month, five soldiers of the Indian Army were killed during an exchange of fire in Kupwara district. While three soldiers were killed during an encounter, two more soldiers died while foiling an infiltration bid along the Line of Control. The Army had killed five militants who attempted to cross over the Line of Control into the Keran sector.