Anantnag: Police said that they along with the army and CRPF killed two local militants affiliated The Resistance Front (TRF) in a gunfight here in Kulgam district of south Kashmir.
The slain militants were identified as Amir Ahmad Wani resident of Alamgunj Shopian and Sameer Ahmad Khan resident of Tiken Pulwama.
Amir, according to police, was a categorised militant affiliated with TRF, an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Toiba while his associate had signed up as a militant recently.
The gunfight took place in Wokai village of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. A senior police official from the area said that a cordon and search operation was launched in the area, following specific inputs regarding the presence of militants.
“The house, the militants were holed up in, was zeroed in on and the militants were given a chance to surrender,” the police official said, adding that the militants did not relent and instead opened indiscriminate fire at the security forces cordoning off the area.
He said that the fire was retaliated ensuing a gunfight. “The militants dashed out of the house in a bid to escape, while they kept firing, but were shot dead in the process,” the police official said.
Bodies of the militants, along with arms, ammunition, and some incriminating material have been retrieved from the site of the gunfight. “An identification process is being conducted, following which the bodies will be sent to North Kashmir for burial,” the official said.
For about two years now, the authorities have been denying handing over the bodies of slain militants to their families, citing Covid protocol. The militants are being buried in unnamed graves at undisclosed locations in North Kashmir.
Forces have intensified anti-militancy operations in Kashmir, leaving more than 25 militants dead since the beginning of December. Kulgam district, since, has witnessed three gunfights in total, leaving 7 militants dead.
On December 15 two TRF militants were killed in Redwini area of the south Kashmir district. Another gunfight, apart from today’s, was reported on December 29 wherein three Jaish-e-Muhammad militants were killed in a gunfight with government forces.

Suhail A Shah