Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police has identified two of the three militants killed in the Srinagar gunfight on Sunday as Shakoor Farooq Langoo of Bharthana Srinagar and Shahid Ahmad Bhat of Semthan Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district saying the identity of the third militant was being ascertained.
The trio a police statement said were affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen and ISJK militant organisations.
They were killed in a gunfight this morning in Zadibal Soura in Srinagar where forces earlier launched a cordon and search operation following inputs about the presence of militants in the area.
Police said the trio was repeatedly appealed to surrender through family members and community members of the area “but instead they started firing indiscriminately upon search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter”.

In the ensuing encounter, three militants were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter, police said.
It said that Shakoor Farooq Lango, one of the slain militants was involved in the killing of two BSF personnel at 90ft road Soura on May 20 “and the snatched AK rifle belonging to the killed BSF Jawan was recovered from the site of encounter”.

The Police statement said that forces “showed patience and exercised utmost restraint, thereby ensured a clean operation with no collateral damage in an otherwise highly congested and densely populated area of city Srinagar”.
It said that incriminating material including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter.
It said the dead bodies of the killed militants have been sent to Handwara and Baramulla in north Kashmir for burial in view the COVID-19 pandemic and the nearest family members of the slain shall also participate in their last rites at Handwara and Baramulla.

Reader correspondent