Shopian: Three unidentified militants have been killed in an encounter which broke out between militants and government forces at Jan-Mohala locality of Shopian town, while an army trooper was injured during the firefight, on Thursday.

According to police sources, a cordon and search operation was launched by a joint team of government forces including 44 Rashtriya Rifles of army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and 14th Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the locality on Thursday afternoon. They said that the search party was fired upon by the hiding militants, whereupon a gunfight ensued.

The official said that the search operation was launched based on inputs about the presence of three to four militants in the area.

A police officer said that three militants have been killed in the ongoing encounter while searches are underway.

Thursday’s gunfight was the first in Shopian town since July 29, 2019, when a top JeM commander, Muna Bhai or Muna Bihari, was killed with an associate in the same locality of the town, just 100 meters from this location.

Officials said that Kashmir Range Inspector General of Police (IGP) Vijay Kumar and General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the army also visited the gunfight site.

Clashes between government forces and protesters broke out near the gunfight site where youths threw stones at the deployed forces, who retaliated with tear smoke shells, stun grenades and pellets. However, there were no official reports of any injuries from either side during the clashes. The street fight, according to locals, was still going on when this report was filed and so was the encounter between militants and government forces.

The sound of gunshots and other explosive material was heard in a radius of ten kilometers around the site, locals from the area said.

Soon after the news of the encounter, shopkeepers in the town pulled down shutters while others left the market to go to their homes.

Locals said that army troops from different army camps and headquarters were called for the encounter.

Today’s gunfight was the second in the month in Shopian district. Last week, a group of militants gave the slip to government forces in Choor ki Gali, a forest area, after a brief exchange of fire.

Police on Thursday evening said that the chief of AGuH, an outfit affiliated with Jaish-e-Muhammad, had been trapped, in the encounter.

“#ShopianEncounterUpdate: Chief of proscribed #terrorist outfit AGuH (JeM) trapped. #Operation going on. Further details shall follow,” Kashmir Zone Police tweeted.

Raashid Hassan