Srinagar- Four militants, including two Pakistanis, were killed in two separate encounters with government forces on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara and Kulgam districts, police said.
While two militants were killed in Kupwara as many were killed in Kulgam, they said, adding some more militants are hiding and operations are underway in both the areas.
Government forces launched an anti-militant operation on the disclosure of an arrested militant, Showkat Ahmad Sheikh, in a forest area of Chandigam Lolab of Kupwara, in north Kashmir, a police spokesman said.
During the search of a hideout, the hiding militants started firing indiscriminately at the joint search party which was retaliated effectively leading to an encounter, he said.
In the initial exchange of fire, one militant was killed and the arrested militant leading the search party also got trapped, the spokesman said.
In the ensuing encounter, two Pakistani militants of proscribed outfit LeT were killed so far. Heavy exchange of fire is still going on and the operation is in progress, he added.
Meanwhile, based on specific input regarding the presence of militants in the Damhal Hanji Pora area of Kulgam, in south Kashmir, a cordon and search operation was launched by government forces there, the spokesman said.
As the search party approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired indiscriminately at them. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter, he said.
In the ongoing encounter, two local militants were killed. They have been identified as Haris Sharief of Srinagar and Zakir Padder of Kulgam, the spokesman said.
As per police records, Sharief was linked with proscribed militant outfit LeT and Padder with JeM. Both were categorised militants, he said.
Both the killed militants were part of groups involved in several militancy-related cases including attacks on government forces, the spokesman said.
The operations in Kupwara nd Kulgam are going on and further details regarding them will follow, he said.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said counter- militancy operations, especially against foreign militants, will continue across the Valley.
He said the militants cannot deter the efforts of the goverment forces to bring peace in Kashmir.
“By targeting innocent civilians including women & kids, unarmed policemen & outside labourers, terrorists can’t deter our efforts to bring peace in valley. Our CT operations will continue simultaneously in all 3 regions of Kashmir, specially against foreign terrorists,” Kumar said on Twitter.
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