Men who attacked SPO in Kishtwar killed during gun battle
Two militants killed in another encounter in Shopian
Jammu/Srinagar: Security forces on Friday killed four militants in two separate encounters in Shopian and Kishtwar forests, police said.
Two gunmen were killed in Kishtwar forests on Friday. The duo had edarlier during the week attacked two SPOs with axes in Tander village and escaped into the jungle with their service rifles. The police and the Army had been on their trail since and located them on Friday.
Jammu Zone IGP Mukesh Singh said the gunmen were killed after a gun battle.
They have been identified as local residents Ashiq Hussain, a rape accused who was released on bail from Kishtwar Central Jail three weeks ago, and Basharat Hussain.
They are believed to have joined the militant ranks and carried out the attack to lay their hands on the weapons.
This was the first terror attack in Kishtwar district this year.
Kishtwar has been rocked by a series of militant attacks since November 2018, when it saw its first terror attack in over a decade. That month, senior BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar were killed outside their home in Kishtwar town.
In April last year, RSS functionary Chanderkant Sharma and his SO were killed inside the district hospital.
In September last year, security forces achieved a major breakthrough against militants active in the district and killed three militants, including the most wanted Osama Bin Javed in an encounter in Ramban when they were trying to escape an offensive which saw dozens of Hizbul Mujahideen members and overground workers arrested and their hideouts busted.
The militants also struck on two more occasions last year and decamped with service rifles of two policemen.
Meanwhile, two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Friday morning, police said.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Dairoo area of Shopian in south Kashmir in the morning following specific information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.
He said the search operation turned into an encounter after militants fired upon security forces, who retaliated.
In the ensuing gunfight, two militants were killed, the official said, adding their identity and group affiliation is being ascertained.
Meanwhile, a senior police official said that the dead bodies were taken to Srinagar and their identification is being ascertained.
Pertinently, this was the third encounter in southern district since August 05 last year.
On 20 January 2020, three militants including top commanders Wasim Ahmad of Urpora Nagbal and Aadil Ahmad Sheikh of Zainapora were killed at Watchi Shopian.
On 09 March, two militants of Ansar Gazwat ul Hind were killed in an encounter at Reban Khojpora in Shopian district.
Meanwhile, suspected militants on Friday evening attacked a joint camp of CRPF 183 BN and Police in Newa area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
Reports said that suspected militants fired indiscriminately on the camp in Newa, injuring one CRPF trooper and was hospitalized.
The injured has been identified as Indar Kumar son of Vishnu Kumar resident of Rajasthan.
A Doctor at DH Pulwama said that they have received one CRPF trooper who has bullet injury in his left leg and his condition is stable.
Meanwhile whole area has been cordoned off to the nab the attackers. (with inputs from PTI, GNS)
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