Militant killed in Kashmir’s Bandipora

An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Sunday.

Sources said the gunfight erupted after Army’s Rashtriya Rifles troops and Jammu and Kashmir police launched a joint search operation in Lawdara village of Bandipora, 60 kms from here, following ‘specific inputs’ about the presence of militants in the area.

“As the searches were going on in the area, the hiding militants fired upon the security forces and in the retaliatory fire, one unidentified ultra was killed. There is a possibility of two more militants hiding in the area,” they said and added the gunfight was going on when reports last came in.

“One terrorist neutralised in the ongoing operation in Bandipora. Operation in progress," said Chinar Corps, Indian Army. On October 22, three militants of Al-Qaeda linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind (AGH), including its Kashmir chief, were killed in southern Pulwama district.

In the first seven months of this year, over 135 militants were killed in Kashmir by the security forces. However, as mobile and internet services were snapped by the authorities since August 5, only eight encounters have been reported across Kashmir in which 16 militants were killed.

“The flow of information from our source network had almost dried up due to the communication blockade. However, as the post-paid mobile phone service was restored on October 14, we hope source network of security agencies will again be active, resulting in more encounters,” a senior police officer told DH.