Four unidentified militants killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag

Four unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with security forces militants in Srigufwara area of Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday.

The encounter erupted after a joint team of Army's 3-Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in Shalgul forest in Srigufwara, 55 km from here, on Wednesday morning, reports said.

As the joint search team approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, which was retaliated, triggering a gunfight, reports added.

A local news agency KNO, quoting an unknown police official, said that four unidentified militants were killed so far while the operation was on. However, a police spokesperson said that no militant has been killed so far. “4 militants trapped. Operation going on. No militant killed so far,” he said.

As a ‘precautionary’ measure, internet services were snapped in the whole of Anantnag district.

On February 19 three militants affiliated with Al-Badr outfit were killed in Badigam village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. Earlier on January 29, in the first encounter of 2021, three militants were killed in the volatile Tral area of Pulwama district.

Last year, 225 militants, including 46 commanders, and 60 security forces personnel, including 16 policemen were killed in over 103 anti-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir while 38 civilians had also lost their lives in militancy related incidents.