Two Militants Killed, Associate Held During Encounter Along Mughal Road

Srinagar- Two militants were killed and their associate was captured on Sunday during an encounter with state forces along Mughal road in the higher reaches of Surankote in Poonch district of Jammu region, officials said.

The militants were heading for south Kashmir’s Shopian district when they were intercepted in a snow-bound area along the Mughal Road in the afternoon, the officials said.

They said it was a joint group of Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants.

The officials said police, assisted by the Army, launched a joint cordon and search operation in remote Chattapani-Dugran village after getting information about the presence of three suspected militants.

The militants were trapped in a snow-bound area and were asked to surrender but they refused and instead fired indiscriminately on the state forces in an attempt to break the cordon, they said, adding that the state forces retaliated and killed two of the militants.

Their associate was captured alive during the encounter, the officials said.

A police spokesman identified the slain militants as Sajid and Bilal- both residents of Pakistan and said two AK 47 rifles, one under barrel grenade launcher and one satellite phone were recovered from their possession.