Anantnag encounter: Two Hizbul militants killed

Two local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Dooru area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district, police said on Saturday.

A police official said the encounter ensued after a joint party of army's Rashtriya Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force and Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K police cordoned off Shistargam village in Dooru on Friday evening following information about a group of militants.

"As the cordon was tightened, the militants fired at the security forces triggering a gunfight in which two ultras were killed," he said.

Police also said that two AK-47 rifles, grenades and other ammunition were recovered from the encounter spot. Following the encounter, authorities suspended train services in south Kashmir as a 'precautionary measure.'

The latest encounter came just three days after five Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants and five security personnel were killed in this year's biggest gun battle in north Kashmir's frontier Kupwara district. At least 1000 army, police and CRPF men participated in the operation which lasted for two days in the forests of Kupwara.

On Friday, the army and the police brass went into a huddle to discuss the new security strategy as there is a likelihood that in coming months, militancy will increase with the melting of snow along the Line of Control.

"The possible loopholes were pinpointed and steps to plug them discussed," sources said. "The army and the police framed a new strategy to fine-tune the coordination between the two agencies to carry out future anti-militancy operations with minimum damage to forces. Some changes were made in the operational procedures of the army and police."