2 militants killed in Kulgam gunfight

2 militants killed in Kulgam gunfight

Anantnag: Two militants, both locals, were killed on Saturday in a gunfight with government forces here in Kulgam district of south Kashmir.
The identity of the militants was yet to be ascertained as per the police. Sources, however, said that the duo belonged to Hizbu Mujahideen and were both residents of Kulgam.
The slain militants have been identified, by the sources, as Shakir Ittoo, son of Abdul Rehman, a resident of Ghat locality in Khodweni area of Kulgam district and Parvez Pandit, son of Ghulam Mohiuddin, a resident of Wanpora-where the gunfight took place.
Family members of both the militants held protests near the site of the gunfight demanding the bodies of their slain kin. “They were born here and killed here, why should they be buried somewhere else,” they said.
The authorities however have been transporting the bodies of the militants to north Kashmir where quiet burials are being carried out. Early this month, Hizb commander Riyaz Naikoo’s body was taken to Sonamarg and buried there.
The gunfight on Saturday morning took place in Wanpora area, a village located on the periphery of Kulgam district, bordering the neighboring Anantnag district.
“The cordon and search operation was launched in wee hours today following specific inputs regarding presence of militants in the area,” a senior police official from the district said.
He said that the house, where militants were holed up, was identified and the militants were asked to surrender.
“We made repeated announcements on a public address system asking the militants to lay down their arms and surrender,” the he said, adding that that the militants however chose to fire.
The fire, he said, was retaliated and both the militants were killed in the process.
“Their bodies have been retrieved. We are trying to ascertain their identities and affiliations of the slain militants,” the official said, “Some incriminating material has also been retrieved from the bodies,”
During the gunfight intense clashes erupted all around the site of the gunfight, the local sources told Kashmir Reader.
“Youth assembled around the gunfight site and pelted stones government forces with stones in a bid to save the trapped militants. The government forces resorted to tear smoke shelling and aerial firing to disperse the protesting youth,” the local sources said.
They said that the youth, however, kept regrouping and the clashes continued throughout the duration of the gunfight. There were no reports of any one getting injured during the clashes.
Meanwhile, mobile internet services were suspended in Kulgam district early morning and were kept snapped throughout the day.

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