Militants travelling in a car killed two soldiers during an attack on a quick reaction team of the army at the busy HMT crossing here, showing again their capability to strike at will in the city.

There have been multiple militant attacks on security forces and half-a-dozen encounters between the two sides in Srinagar this year, betraying how the city is back in their focus after last year’s abrogation of Article 370.

A police spokesman said preliminary investigations have revealed that militants travelling in a Maruti car took “undue advantage of crowded place” and fired indiscriminately at an army party, resulting in injuries to two jawans.

“The injured jawans were rushed to the hospital for treatment; but both succumbed to their injuries and attained martyrdom. They have been identified as Sepoy Ratan (Lal) of 163 Battalion Territorial Army and Sepoy Deshmukh of 101 Battalion Territorial Army,” the spokesman said.

Both were attached to the Rashtriya Rifles.

“The movement of LeT and Jaish has been noticed in the area. We are investigating which group was behind the attack,” inspector-general of police Vijay Kumar said.

Kumar said three militants were travelling in the car and it appeared two were foreigners and one was a local.

Defence spokesman in Srinagar, Colonel Rajesh Kalia, said militants fired indiscriminately at the quick action team near Khushipora. “Being a crowded area, troops exercised restraint to avoid any civilian casualties and collateral damage,” he said.

The area remains packed with vehicles during the day. The attack triggered panic and many vehicles were stuck in a jam.

Official sources said there had been around a dozen militant attacks or gunfights between the security forces and militants this year in Srinagar, the highest in the last several years.

In October, bike-borne militants carried out an attack on a road opening party of the 110 Battalion of the CRPF at Kandipzal area of Nowgam bypass, which killed two cops and left three others injured.

In August, militants killed two policemen in an attack in a nearby locality.

The city has witnessed around half-a-dozen encounters at Batmaloo, Nawakadal, Zoonimar, Malbagh, Mujgund, Parimpora and Panthachowk this year.

There was also an attack on the BSF in Pandanch.

When the BJP-led government scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir last year, it had claimed the move would end militancy in the region and bring peace, but that has remained a far cry so far.