Anantnag: Two militants and an ‘over ground worker’ were killed on Saturday in an early morning gunfight with government forces while as their underground hideout was busted here in Awantipora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

All the three slain remain unidentified. In the last four gunfights here in south Kashmir, since April 17, 10 militants and one OGW have been killed but police have not given out identities of any of the slain.

Also the killed militants are now being taken to north Kashmir for burial.

On the first day of Ramadhan on Saturday, the gunfight took place in an apple orchard in Goripora area of Awantipora police district.

A senior police official said that there were prior inputs regarding presence of militants in the area and an operation was launched.

“The militants were hiding in a sophisticated underground hideout inside the apple orchard. They tried to flee using gunfire as cover but were gunned down in the process,” the police official said.

He said that a “militant associate” was also killed during the operation.

The police official said that arms and ammunition and some incriminating material was retrieved from the possession of the slain militants, “and from the hideout,”

“The hideout had been constructed in a very professional manner, keeping well ventilated,” the police official said.

Today’s gunfight was the second in south Kashmir in less than twelve hours. On Friday night, two militants were killed in Arwini area of Anantnag district while they were fleeing after abducting a policeman, who was rescued later.

Suhail A Shah