Two militants killed in Srinagar encounter

Two unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with security forces on the outskirts of Srinagar city on Saturday.

Reports said the encounter broke out after security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the Ranbirgarh area on the outskirts of the city early morning following ‘specific information’ about the presence of militants there.

A police official said as the forces were conducting the search, hiding militants fired upon them. The forces retaliated ensuing an encounter, in which two militants were killed, he said.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain militants was not known immediately. The area, where today’s encounter was reported falls in Panzinara on the outskirts of Srinagar city bordering north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.

This was the fourth encounter in Srinagar since May that comes as a reminder from the militants that its presence has increased in the city, which not long ago was considered as a zero-militancy zone.

Even as militants fired gunshots or lobbed grenades at some places, there was no major militant strike for over 18 months in Srinagar till May. The worry for the security agencies is that the latest encounters occurred in the city at a time when militants are on the defensive in south Kashmir, where they have suffered heavy losses in the recent months.

Sources said the militants are trying to make new bases in Srinagar as they are on the run from south Kashmir due to relentless operations by security forces. “Though people of Srinagar were not interested in providing logistic support to militancy for the long years, there has been marginal recruitment of militants after August 2019. The militant handlers are trying to encash palpable skepticism, pessimism, and cynicism in the air after the abrogation of Article 370,” they said.