SRI NAGAR: Four militants, including a commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen, and a civilian described by police as an active associate of the militants, were killed while two policemen were injured as three gunfights between militants and security forces took place in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.
A police officer said a joint team of the Army’s 44 Rashtriya Rifles, CRPF and Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K police launched a cordon and search operation in the orchards of Draggard, Sugan area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district in the early hours of Friday.
The militants who were hiding there, fired on the troops. The troops returned fire as two militants and a civilian were killed. Police identified the deceased militants as Abid Manzoor Magray alias Sajju Tiger and Bilal Ahmad Bhat. The deceased civilian was identified as Jasim Ahmad Shah.
The second gunfight broke out in Marwah area of Kishtwar in Jammu region. A police official said a team of policemen rushed to Appan area of Marwah after receiving information about movement of militants.
“The police team came under heavy fire from militants near Faizi Bridge. The police retaliated and in the brief melee, two policemen were injured,” he said.
The injured policemen identified as Mohammad Iqbal and Ashiq Hussain were taken to a nearby hospital.
The third encounter took place in the forenoon after militants fired on a search party in Midoora area of Tral in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
A police official informed that two militants were killed in the encounter.