Two militants killed in Kulgam gunfight

16 militants killed in six days in south Kashmir

Anantnag: Two militants were killed on Saturday in a gunfight with government forces in Kulgam district taking the number of militants slain in last six days to 16 in south Kashmir.
All the slain militants including the two killed were locals and affiliated to either Hizbul Mujahideen or Lashkar-e-Toiba.
The authorities have not been revealing the identities of slain militants officially while the militants are being quietly buried far away from their homes in north Kashmir.
Sources in the police, however, maintain that the militants killed today were affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen and were residents of Kulgam district. They have been identified as Umar Hassan Bhat of Qaimoh and Naveed Mohiuddin Bhat of D H Pora.
“Their bodies will be sent to Baramulla later in the day,” a police source said.
The gunfight today took place in Nipora village of Qazigund, which falls within the jurisdiction of police district Kulgam, at about 6 am on Saturday.
A senior police official from Kulgam district said that there were inputs regarding presence of militants in the area, following which a Cordon and Search Operation was launched.
“Soon after contact was established with the militants, they were asked to surrender,” the police official said, adding that the militants instead lobbed hand grenades at the government forces.
The forces, the official said, fired in return and managed to kill both the militants.
“Their bodies have been retrieved. Identification and other medico-legal formalities are going on,” the police official said. He added that two pistols and 3 hand grenades were also retrieved from the possession of the slain militants.
Mobile internet services were, meanwhile, snapped in the entire Kulgam district and were yet to be restored while this report was being filed.
The recent spurt in killing of militants in south Kashmir started on June 7 with killing of five militants in Reban village of Zainapora in Shopian district.
The following day four more militants were killed in Pinjoora village of Shopian district, followed by killing of five more militants on June 10 in Sagoo-Hendhama village of Shopian.
About 7 of the slain militants had joined the ranks recently.
Later, the slain militants were buried in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district in afternoon.
Local sources said that bodies of both militants were shifted to Gantamulla Baramulla and buried in the graveyard in afternoon.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.