Hurriyat stir affects normal life in Kashmir

Three militants were killed in two separate incidents of encounters with security forces.
The strike was called in protest against the ongoing arrests of separatists and youth for taking part in last year’s civilian unrest. Shops, business establishments, educational institutions remained closed.

Government offices remained either closed or registered a thin attendance. Transport services were hit.

 Geelani in a statement said he had no intention to go on a long general strike like the last year. “Such rumours are being spread by the government to defame me. I do not want to spoil the tourism season and education sector with strike,” he said. The separatist leader said the killings by police and security forces had led to civilian unrest and prolonged strikes last year.

Militants killed
Two militants were killed in the Habdipora area at Shopian. Police said the two militants recently attacked two cops with sharp-edged weapons at neighbouring Yaripora-Kulgam and snatched their weapons.

Giving details about the encounter, police said army and special operations group cordoned off the Habdipora on specific information about the presence of militants there.
A search operation was launched. During the operation militants, hiding in a house, opened fire. In the return fire both militants were killed.

They were later on identified as Ishfaq Ahmad Wagay and Khurshid Ahmad Itoo. Arms and ammunition were seized from the encounter site.

In another encounter an unidentified militant was killed in the Muslim peer area of Sopore town in north Kashmir.

During the combing operation by security forces, the militants took refuge in a medical shop, where one of them was killed.