Two ultras, three security men killed in Kupwara gunfight

Five people including three security personnel and two militants were killed, while seven others including a woman were injured in a gun battle between security forces and ultras in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Tuesday.

Police said the encounter which began late on Monday evening in Zunrishi Chokibal, 130 km from here, ended on Tuesday afternoon. A joint operation by the Army and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police was launched after specific intelligence about the presence of militants. “The security forces cordoned off a house and challenged the hiding militants to surrender. But they started indiscriminate firing in which two police personnel–an assistant sub-inspector and a constable–were injured,” it said.

Bodies of the slain militants and two policemen were recovered from the debris, police said and added that a junior commissioned officer (JCO) of the Army was also killed in the encounter.

Inspector General of Police  Kashmir Abdul Gani Mir confirmed that two militants and three security personnel were killed in the gun battle.

“The slain militants belong to Lashkar-e-Toiba. Three of our boys, two from the state police and one from the Army were also killed in the encounter,” he said.

The slain cops have been identified as head constable Mohammad Shafi and constable Riyaz Ahmad, while the JCO was identified as Subedar Kakanvari of the Army’s 9 PARA regiment.