Shopian: After a month’s lull, guns boomed in Shopian again on Saturday as government forces killed three militants in a pre-dawn encounter at a Shopian village.
The encounter between a joint team of government forces and militants broke out in the orchards of Amshipora village which is situated some six kilometers from district headquarters. Police said that contact with hiding militants was established at around 5 am and the operation was concluded around 8:30 am after three bodies, along with arms and ammunition, were recovered from the site.
Police sources said that a cordon and search operation was launched by 62 Rashtriya Rifles of army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and Central Reserve Police Force at around 1 am in the night. They said that searches were continued till the hiding militants fired upon forces from a shed located in an orchard, some 300 meters away from the residential area.
The operation was concluded at around 8am after the killing of three unidentified militants.
The bodies of the militants have been taken to police control room Srinagar for tests and identification. From there the bodies will be sent for burial to north Kashmir.
Earlier, five militants were killed on June 17 at Bandpow village of Shopian district and a total 32 militants have been killed this year in the district, among whom 22 were killed in a span of 11 days in the month of June.

Raashid Hassan