Rajouri:
A woman was killed and another eight people were injured as a passenger bus was caught in the crossfire between the Army and militants in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday morning.
According to the Army, the passengers were injured by militant firing.
A group of five militants were targeting an Army convoy. The bus, which was passing through at the time of the encounter, ended up taking some bullets. The injured have been taken to a local hospital. Two critically injured passengers were flown to Jammu.
The bus driver showed presence of mind and didn't stop driving which prevented more casualties. There were 30 people on board the bus.
"I risked my life and drove through the firing," said Rajesh Kumar, bus driver.
Two army jawans are reportedly injured. The Army says, the attackers were a group of four Lashkar-e-Toiba men.
"Militants were wearing combat uniform when they attacked Army vehicles," said R K Jhalla, Special Superintendent of Police, Rajouri.
The Rajouri region is a hotbed of militancy; recently, several Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants have been traced here.
For the moment the firing has stopped but it can resume anytime as and when the militants are spotted and a contact established with them. But clearly militants have send across a message that they are very much there and ready to take on the security forces.