Two soldiers and a militant affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit were killed in an encounter between security forces and ultras in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Saturday.
A police officer said the gun battle erupted after the army’s 1-Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police conducted a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in Chermarg, Zainpora in Shopian, 60 km from here, during the early hours of Saturday following a tip-off about the presence of militants there.
As the security forces were conducting searches in the area, the militants, who were hiding, fired upon them, injuring two soldiers, he said and added that the injured soldiers later succumbed to their injuries. The deceased soldiers were identified as Santosh Yadav and Chavan Romit Tanaji from the 1-Rashtriya Rifles.
The militant was killed in retaliatory firing by security forces, the police said and identified him as Abdul Qayoom Dar, a local affiliated with the LeT.
“The house owner, who misled the search party of security forces, was arrested in a terror law for providing shelter to a militant and misleading security forces,” a police spokesperson said.
In all, 24 militants, including eight from Pakistan, have been killed in Kashmir this year.
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