Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer and two unidentified terrorists were killed in an encounter that broke out in village Bandzoo of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said.
A police official said a cordon was laid in village Bandzoo in Pulwama district on the basis of a specific input about presence of two terrorists. “When the forces zeroed on a suspected spot where terrorists were believed to be hiding, they opened fire at the forces triggering an encounter. The terrorists came out of the house amid indiscriminate firing,” he said, adding that “in the ensuing gunfight, two terrorists were killed.”
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Vijay Kumar, said that two terrorists were killed in an operation at Bandzoo village of Pulwama. “Two AK-47 riffles were recovered from their possession,” he said.
The IGP also added that a CRPF official also got injured in the initial shootout, who later succumbed on the way to hospital.
Defence spokesman in Srinagar, Colonel Rajesh Kalia, said that two terrorists were killed and two Ak 47-riffles recovered. He said a search operation was on.
CRPF officials identified the slain officer as Head Constable Sunil Kala of 182 Battalion. The operation was jointly launched by the police, Army and the CRPF.
Today’s encounter is 11th in a row in the past three weeks in South Kashmir districts, where 30 terrorists have been killed. With the killing of two terrorists today, the total number of terrorists killed this year has reached 108 which include top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansaar Gazwatul Hind (AGH).
The IGP Kashmir has been maintaining that militancy will be wiped-out from South Kashmir in the remaining days of the ensuing month after which focus will be shifted to north Kashmir. He said that there were 100 to 200 terrorists active in Kashmir including those who successfully managed to sneak into this side of the LoC this year so far.
-CHK
