Militant killed as forces return fire in Kashmir

An unidentified militant was killed on Friday in an encounter with security forces in north Kashmir’s frontier district of Kupwara.

Police said acting on a tip-off about the presence of militants in the Rajwar forests in Kupwara, 90 kms from here, a search party of Special Operations Group (SOG) of police and the Army launched a combing operation to flush out the militants.

“During the operation, the militants opened fire on the search party triggering an encounter. In the ensuing gunfight, an unidentified militant was killed,” police said.Superintendent of Police Choudhary Aslam said that heavily armed militants who were hiding in the forest opened indiscriminate fire on the joint party of the police and the Army.
 “The fire was retaliated and in the gunfight, one militant was killed,” he said. Rajwar is a vast area covered with thick forest and forms an ideal place for the militants to hide. The area also consists of 32 small villages scattered over and area whose borders meet with the Line of Control through Tanghdar sector.