SRINAGAR: Two militants of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), suspected to be part of the outfit’s sniper squad, were killed in a gunfight with security forces in the Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Tuesday, police said.
A police officer said acting on a tip-off, a team consisting of members of the Army, the CRPF and the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police entered the Chaanketaar village in Tral to institute a search operation.
“As the security men were conducting searches and approaching a house where they suspected that militants were present, they came under fire. This triggered a gunfight,” said the officer, adding that the encounter lasted for over five hours.
“The house in which the militants were hiding was damaged during the gunfight,” the official added.
“They both belonged to Jaish and their identities are being ascertained,” he said.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir SP Pani told TNIE that the operation was in its final stages and that searches were going on.
Sources familiar with the investigation said the deceased may have been a part of the JeM’s sniper squad, which carried out three separate attacks on security personnel in the Valley last week, killing three security men and injuring one more.
They said an M-4 sniper rifle and an AK-47 have been recovered from the encounter site.