Two ISJK militants killed in Srinagar encounter

78 ultras slain in Kashmir this year

Two local militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) outfit were killed in an encounter with security forces in Danmar area of Eidgah in Srinagar on Friday.

Two paramilitary CRPF personnel, identified as Bupinder Sharma and Anis Ahmed, were also injured in the gunfight and have been shifted to a hospital for treatment.

Reports said the gunfight erupted when a joint team of J&K police and Central Reserve Police Force CPF) launched a cordon-and-search-operation in Alamdar Colony of Danmar, Eidgh during the wee hours of Friday. The search operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire on the security forces, who retaliated.

“The slain militants were involved in three incidents that took place in June after which we were tracking their movement. We got a lead about them yesterday (Thursday),” Kashmir police chief, Vijay Kumar said.

He said the militants were asked to surrender “but they refused after which an encounter took place in which both the terrorists were killed. As per police list the slain were affiliated to LeT and had later switched to ISJK as per social media reports.”

The police said the slain militants were locals from uptown Natipora area of Srinagar and identified them as Irfan Ahmed Sofi and Bilal Ahmed, who had joined militant ranks in December last year.

On Wednesday, three LeT militants, including commander Aijaz alias Abu Huraira, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama town of south Kashmir. There has been a spurt in gun battles between militants and security forces in Kashmir this month after witnessing decline in May and June apparently due to Covid-19 lockdown.

While 16 ultras were killed in May and June, in the first 16-days of this month 20 ultras, mostly from the LeT, have been gunned down by security forces in eight encounters. While all the seven previous encounters were reported in south Kashmir districts of Kulgam, Pulwama and Anantnag, today’s gunfight was first in July reported outside these three districts.

Pertinently 78 militants and 18 security forces and J&K police personnel have been killed in Kashmir since the beginning of this year. Out of 78 militants killed this year, 39 belonged to the LeT followed by Hizbul Mujahideen, Al-Badr, Jash-e-Mohammad and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.

Over 200 militants were killed in Kashmir in 2020 while the number was 157 in 2019. In 2018, the number of militants killed stood at 257, the highest in a decade.