Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): Two militants and their “hardcore associate” were killed in an overnight encounter with the security forces at Awantipora in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said today.
A police official said that after receiving a lead about the presence of militants at Goripora area Awantipora late on Friday evening, joint teams of police, army and paramilitary CRPF laid a siege in the village.
“The searches were intensified in the midnight. When security forces zeroed in on the house, the hiding militants fired indiscriminately on the forces, triggering an encounter,” the official said.
He said the firing was retaliated to and two militants and a “hardcore associate” of theirs were killed with the first light of the day.
Kashmir zone police on its twitter handle said, “2 unidentified militants and 1 hardcore associate of militants killed. Search is still going on. Details shall follow.”
Police sources said that the bodies of slain have been taken for legal formalities and identification.
Today’s gunfight took place barely a few hours after security forces killed two militants in Aarwani area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The slain militants had abducted a policeman and were travelling in a vehicle. When they reached Kharpora, Arwani, where joint points of police and army had set up a check post after receiving an input, the vehicle was signaled to stop, but militants fired, triggering a brief shootout in which two militants were killed. The abducted cop was rescued while as another cop sustained minor injuries in the exchange of fire.
So far 50 militants have been killed in J&K this year and post outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic on March 18 in the UT, 23 militants have been killed so far in various encounters.
