Srinagar: Three militants were killed on Thursday as two gun fights raged in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian and Kupwara districts, police said.
All three were killed in the south Kashmir encounter in Shopian district.
“Hiding militants opened fire at the security forces in Yarwan village of Keller area during a cordon and search operation. Three militants were killed in the resulting encounter”, a police officer said.
The other gun battle was in Yaroo village of Langate area in Kupwara, where firing exchanges started as security forces closed down on the militants.
This takes the number of ultras killed in one week to eleven. Two Jaish-e-Mohammed militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Kalantara in Baramulla district last week. Two Pakistani nationals with links to Lashkar-e-Taiba group were also killed in a costly gunfight in Hajin area of Bandipore district last week. While a civilian who was held hostage was rescued, the other – a 12-year-old boy – was killed by the militants.
Suspected militants on Wednesday also shot dead a civilian in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
Militants fired upon Tanveer Ahmad Dar, a resident of the Bemnipora area of south Kashmir's Shopian district, near Kachdoora village in the afternoon. He had received critical injuries which led to an instant death.
A case has been registered and an investigation started, an official said. Security forces are also engaged in a sweeping search of the troubled areas following information about presence of more militants there.
