Militants going for soft targets: three kids shot in Poonch

Around 15 militants fired rockets on Surankote’s police station and the headquarters of the Special Operations Group from a hilltop at around 9 p.m. on Saturday and followed this up with heavy firing, said sources. During the exchange of fire, a group of militants slipped away, entered Khan’s house, and opened fire. ‘‘Aaj to baad tu aur tere bacche nahin darenge (from today, you and your children will have no fear),’’ they are reported to have told Khan.

Nazarat Hussain (10) and Asad Mehmood (9) died on the spot, while Khan and Arafat (7) were injured. Father and son were rushed to Surankote’s Sub-District Hospital, but Arafat succumbed to his injuries before he could receive treatment. ‘‘The militants were right, my children will never fear the knock on the door. They cannot hear it anymore,’’ Khan told anyone who cared to listen at the hospital. ‘‘I told them, let my children live, they haven’t seen anything of the world yet,’’ wept Khan, who survived simply because Arafat fell on him after being shot. The exchange of fire between the militants and security forces continued for about 45 minutes. Four to five rockets fired by the militants exploded in Surankote town, damaging around seven houses.

Nine hours after this incident, security personnel shot dead five Lashkar—e—Toiba militants at Malhan, 12 km from Surankote. It wasn’t known whether they were the same militants who had killed the three children, sources said.