Fifth militant killed in Baramulla encounter

The death toll in the encounter between militants and security forces in Dooniwari forests of Rafiabad in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district has touched five with the killing of another ultra on Thursday.

A police officer said that a militant was killed on Thursday morning in the gun battle raging since Wednesday morning in the dense forests of Dooniwari, Rafaibad, 70 km from Srinagar.

State police chief Shesh Pal Vaid confirmed the death of the fifth militant. “5th Terrorist fired in the morning & was neutralised soon after (sic),” he tweeted.

Four militants were killed while an army commando was injured in the gun-battle on Wednesday. The encounter occurred at a place which is used by militants as a transit point after crossing the Line of Control (LoC).

Sources said due to difficult terrain and rain in the area, the operation took a long time. “The operation is going on as the security forces are searching for more militants in the forest area,” they said.

General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Srinagar based 15-Corps Lt Gen A K Bhat complimented the army’s counterinsurgency force for northern Kashmir, Kilo Force, for the operation. “During the operation, special forces team was inserted in the area and they have done an excellent job,” he said.

The police said it was not clear whether the militants were fresh infiltrators or they were already in the upper reaches of Rafiabad. The identity of the slain militants was being ascertained and police said they could be Pakistanis.

The encounter came a day after four army soldiers, including a Major and two militants, were killed in a gunfight along the LoC in Gurez sector of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Tuesday.