3 army men, 2 civilians injured, residential house damaged

Anantnag: Two people, one of them a Pakistani militant and another a policeman, were killed in a gunfight between militants and government forces here in Kulgam district of south Kashmir, the police said on Thursday.

Three army men and two civilians were also injured during the gunfight. “All of them were evacuated to hospital and are stable. The civilians had minor injuries,” a police spokesperson said.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar has said that the slain militant was a Pakistani national named Babar Bhai. “He was active since 2018 in Kulgam and Shopian districts of south Kashmir,” Kumar said.

He added that the slain policeman has been identified as Sergeant Constable, Rohit Chibb. Kumar later in the day visited the gunfight site and a SOG camp nearby in Kulgam district, where he interacted with policemen about “operational aspects”.

The gunfight erupted in Pariwan village of Kulgam district late Wednesday night, where an operation was launched by the government forces following, “inputs regarding presence of militants,”

“The suspected house was zeroed in on and the militant, holed up was asked to lay down his arms. He did not relent and fired indiscriminately,” a senior police official from the area said.

He added that the fire was retaliated and in the course of the gunfight a policeman, three army men, and two civilians were injured. “The police constable later succumbed while others are stable and under treatment at different hospitals,” the police official said.

The official said that the cordon was further tightened and the militant was cornered and killed. “His attempts to flee from the spot were curbed and we managed to neutralise him,” he said.

The body of the militant was later retrieved from the debris of the house, along with an AK-47 rifle, one pistol, and two grenades, the police have maintained. “Some incriminating material was also retrieved from his possession,” the official said.

The body of the militant has been sent to north Kashmir for burial, police said.

Meanwhile, local sources told Kashmir Reader that the house where the militant was hiding has been completely damaged as forces used explosives to kill the militant. “A load carrier, belonging to the house owner, was also damaged during the gunfight,” a local source told Kashmir Reader.

More than eight gunfights have already taken place in 2022, leaving around 14 militants dead, in different parts of the Kashmir valley.

Suhail A Shah