Srinagar: A militant, who the police say was involved in the Bijbehara shootout of June 26, and a CRPF soldier were among two killed during a gunfight between militants and government forces here in Malla Bagh area on the outskirts of Srinagar on Thursday evening.
A 5-year-old boy and a CRPF man were killed in the Bijbehara shootout.
The slain militant has been identified as Zahid Ahmad Dass, son of Ghulam Muhammad, a resident of Waghama area of Bijbehara. Dass was a member of Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK).
“After identification and other medico-legal formalities his body will be sent to north Kashmir for burial,” a police source told Kashmir Reader.
The gunfight erupted at about 10:30 PM late Thursday evening near Zakura Crossing in Malbagh area of Srinagar. The militants were holed up in a private building when government forces cordoned off the area and asked the militants to surrender.
“The militant, however, opened fire in a bid to escape and was gunned down in retaliatory fire,” a senior police official from the area said. He said that the body was retrieved along with arms, ammunition and some other incriminating material.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, on Friday tweeted credentials of the slain militant.
“Killer of JKP and CRPF personnel at ‘Bijbehara and Anantnag’ has been killed in yesterday’s gunfight in Srinagar,” Kumar said, adding that the slain militant also killed a 6 year old boy.
He termed the killing of Dass as a major success for the government forces.
Police sources in the area said that there were at more militants present in the area who managed to escape in darkness. “The area was combed and the operation was called off only after it was made certain that the militants have managed to escape,” he added.

Reader correspondent