Two LeT militants killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir

Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants were killed in an overnight encounter with the security forces in Bijbehara area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Friday while four civilians were injured after an explosive device went off at the gunfight site later.

In a statement on Twitter, a police spokesman said that two militants of LeT outfit were killed in the gunfight that broke out last night.

The gunfight erupted at Sirhama area of Bijbehara on Thursday evening after a joint team of Army’s 3-Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) on getting ‘specific’ information about the presence of two to three militants in the area.

As the search team encircled the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them. The fire was retaliated by the joint team, triggering off an encounter.

The operation was put on hold for the night a police official said. However, the entire area was cordoned off and the operation resumed this morning.

Sources said after a fresh exchange of fire this morning, the house, where the two militants were holed up, was blasted by the security forces

Meanwhile, four civilians were injured after an explosive device went off at the encounter site. A police official said the explosion took place as a group of people were clearing the debris of the house which was damaged in the firefight.

In relentless anti-insurgency operations, security forces have killed over 180 militants, including 22 foreigners, in 75 operations across Jammu and Kashmir this year. As many as 157 militants were killed in Kashmir in 2019 while the number was 257 in 2018 which was the highest in a decade.

In 2019, out of 157 slain militants 32 were Pakistanis and majority of them 19 belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit. In 2019, local militants accounted for 79% deaths in encounters while the number has grown to 88% this year.