Two militants killed in encounter in south Kashmir’s Anantnag

Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Tuesday, the police said.

The gunfight started after security forces received an input about the presence of militants following which a joint party of the police, army and CRPF launched a search operation in Kachwan forests of Kokernag in Anantnag.

“During the search operation, the terrorists who were hiding fired on the search party. There was counter firing leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, 2 terrorists were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of the encounter,” a police spokesperson said.

The identities and affiliation of the slain militants are still being ascertained. “The search in the area is continuing,” the spokesperson said.

Incriminating material including arms and ammunition was recovered from the site of the encounter.

The police said that it was a clean operation and no collateral damage took place during the exchange of fire.

Last week on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, security forces killed Kashmir’s most wanted militant commander Zakir Musa, 25, who had formed an Al Qaeda affiliate Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind, in south Kashmir. The killing had triggered protests and stone pelting in old city Srinagar and in Pulwama prompting the administration to suspend mobile internet services and impose curfew in parts of the Valley for two days. Educational institutions had also been shut down.

On Wednesday, two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

Four militants were killed on May 18 in two separate encounters in Pulwama and Baramulla districts while on May 16 in two more gunfights, security forces killed five militants in which two army men and two civilians also lost their lives.

After the Lok Sabha elections were conducted peacefully, the frequency of gunfights has increased in Kashmir valley and so has the number of militant deaths since May 10.

There were just four encounters between security forces and militants between April 11 when Kashmir’s Baramulla voted in the first phase and May 6 when the polls ended in the valley. Eight militants were killed in those four encounters.

So far, 92 militants have been killed in various encounters with security forces across Kashmir this year.