Anantnag: Three militants of Jaish-e-Muhammad were killed on Wednesday in a gunfight with government forces in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, police said.
Police identified the two slain militants as Mir Owais resident of Ashmander Pulwama and Talha Yasir of Pakistan while the identity of the third militant was yet to be ascertained.
Kashmir Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Vijay Kumar termed the operation a, “big success”.
“Incriminating material, arms, and ammunition have been retrieved from the possession of the slain militants, including two M4 Carbine rifles and one AK series rifle,” Kumar was quoted by a police spokesperson as saying.
The gunfight took place in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, here in Chandgam village of Pulwama district. A senior police official from the area said that a cordon and search operation was launched following inputs regarding the presence of militants in the area.
“The house, where militants were hiding, was zeroed in on and the militants were given a chance to surrender and lay down their arms,” the police official said, adding that the militants did not relent and opened indiscriminate fire at the security forces.
Fire, he said, was retaliated and in the ensuing gunfight, all the three militants were killed. “The bodies have been retrieved and have been 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.
Today’s gunfight was the second in as many days. On Tuesday two TRF militants were killed in a gunfight in the Kulgam district of South Kashmir. Forces have intensified anti-militancy operations in Kashmir, leaving more than 25 militants dead since the beginning of December.
Jaish-e-Muhammad has suffered heavy losses in December. As many as 12 members of the militant outfit have been killed in four different gunfights, since December 29.
Six militants of the outfit were killed in two gunfights, on December 29, here in the twin districts of Kulgam and Anantnag. The gunfight was followed by another one on December 30, in the Panthachowk area of Srinagar, wherein 3 other operatives of the Jaish were killed.

Suhail A Shah