Two militants killed in Kashmir encounter

Two unidentified militants were killed in an ongoing encounter with security forces in the forests of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Thursday.

Reports said the gunfight broke out after Army's 14 Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police launched a cordon-and-search operation (CASO) at Shukbabun area of Sumlar forest area of Bandipora.

As the forces intensified the searches, the hiding militants opened fire triggering off a gunfight, in which two militants were killed so far, sources said. The slain militants are most probably of the foreign origin. “Operation is still on and might prolong for the night as there is a possibility of more militants trapped,” they said and reinforcements have been sent to the area to ensure that militants don’t escape the cordon.

However, the police confirmed the killing of only one militant in the encounter so far. “A militant has been killed so far. Identity is yet to be ascertained. Search continues. Information is preliminary in nature,” Kashmir police zone tweeted.

The latest gunfight comes just four days after five local militants, belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfits, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chowgam area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.