SRINAGAR: Four militants were killed in an ongoing encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.
A police official said a joint contingent of police, CRPF and army launched a cordon and search operation in Manihal area of Shopian in the early hours today after receiving inputs about presence of a group of militants there.
He said after laying siege to the area, militants zeroed-in on the militant positions and asked militants hiding there to surrender.
However, the militants turned down the offer and fired on the troops. The fire was returned by the troops, triggering an encounter.
An army spokesman in Srinagar said four militants have been killed in the gunfight so far.
He said an AK rifle and two pistols have been recovered from the slain militants.
The operation against the militants, he said, was going on.
According to police, identity of the slain militants and the outfit to which they owed allegiance was being ascertained.
It is the second gunfight in Shopian in two weeks.
The security forces last week killed two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants including top commander Wilayat Lone alias Sajjad Afghani in a three-day long encounter in Rawalpora area of Shopian.
At least eight houses were damaged in the 3-day gunfight.