Four militants killed in encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian

Barely 24-hours after the killing of five Hizbul Mujahideen militants in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, four unidentified ultras were killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in the same district on Monday.

Three army personnel were also injured in the gun battle that erupted during wee hours of Monday after a joint team of Army’s 44-Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police launched a cordon-and-search-operation in Pinjura village of Shopian, 52 km from, here, following ‘specific inputs’ about the presence of a group of militants in the area.

A police officer said the operation turned into an encounter after hiding militants fired at the search party, which was retaliated. “In the initial firing, three army personnel were injured. Four militants who were hiding in a residential house were killed,” he said and dead bodies of slain ultras have been recovered and their identification and group affiliation is being ascertained.

The bodies of the militants would be taken either to Sonamarg in central Kashmir or Boniyar in northern Baramulla district for a quiet burial. Lately, police have been denying the bodies of militants to their families as their funerals used to attract large crowds.

Pertinently, five Hizbul militants, including its top commander, were killed in a similar encounter at Reban village in the same district on Sunday.

There has been an increase in anti-militancy operations in the Valley since March. Since COVID-19 lockdown, a total of 53 militants and two of their associates have been killed while 24 security forces personnel, including two in ceasefire violations, have lost their lives.

Since the beginning of this year, 91 militants have been killed across Kashmir in dozens of encounters with security forces and 154 militants were killed in gun battles across Kashmir in the first seven months of 2019.

In the next five months, only 20 militants were neutralised by the security forces as anti-insurgency operations almost came to a halt as security and communication clampdown was imposed to prevent civilian protests in the wake of revocation of Article 370 on August 5.

Last month, J&K police chief Dilbagh Singh had said that less than 240 militants were active in Kashmir.