SRINAGAR: Two militants were killed and four persons including two CRPF men and a lady tourist injured during an encounter in outskirts of Srinagar on Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Tuesday.
A police officer said acting on intelligence inputs about movement of militants, a joint party of police, army’s 50 Rashtria Rifles and CRPF laid a naka at Sempora in outskirts of Srinagar on Srinagar-Jammu highway, about 12 kms from Srinagar, this afternoon and set up temporary checkpoint, where the vehicles were searched.
“At about 4.45 pm, the security men intercepted a Tata mobile near JKEDI building at Sempora in which two militants were travelling. The driver was asked to stop the vehicle,” he said.
The officer said the militants attempted to flee from the spot. “They lobbed grenades and fired from automatic weapons towards the security men”.
He said the fire was returned by the troops and in the ensuing firefight, both the militants were killed. “Two CRPF men and two civilians including a lady tourist were injured in the gunfight”.
The police officer said identity of the slain militants was being ascertained.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that the slain militants may be affiliated to Lashkar-e-Toiba and might have been on a mission to carry out strikes in Srinagar,” he said adding further investigations are going on.
After the encounter, police, paramilitary and army men laid siege around the area and conducted combing and search operation. All kinds of vehicular movement on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained disrupted for some time.