Three militants killed in Kashmir encounter

Three militants, two of them believed to be Pakistanis, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chadoora area of central Kashmir's Budgam district on Monday.

Sources said that army's Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a search operation at Patrigam village of Chadoora in Budgam, 22 km from here, after inputs about presence of three militants there.

"During the search operation, militants fired on security forces and tried to flee from the area. Security forces retaliated and all the three ultras were killed in intense firing," they said.

Inspector General Police, Kashmir, Muneer Khan, however, said only one body has been recovered from the encounter site so far. "The operation is in progress while the body of one militant has been recovered," he said. A rifle was also recovered from the encounter site.

Reports said that soon after the news about the encounter spread, civilians, mostly youth, took to streets in Chadoora and its adjoining areas and started pelting stones on security forces who resorted to teargas shelling and aerial shots to disperse them. Authorities snapped Internet services in Budgam district to prevent rumour mongering on social media.

The encounter comes just two days after four policemen were killed and one injured in a powerful IED blast in north Kashmir's Sopore town. It was the first encounter this year in which militants were killed.

With militancy, especially homegrown, on the rise, security forces have launched a massive operation to flush out ultras. Nearly 220 militants were killed in 2017, which was highest in the last eight years. The security forces are going after militants as part of 'Operation All Out' and on the basis of a "hit list" of militants.