Two unidentified militants, ‘associate’ killed in Pulwama gunfight

Two unidentified militants and their ‘associate’ were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Awantipora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday, police said.

A police official said on ‘specific input’ about the presence of militants, a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) was launched in Goripora area of Awantipora, 30 km from here, early Saturday morning, by joint team of Army’s 50 Rashtriya Rifles and J&K Police.

During the searches, the hiding militants fired upon security forces, which was retaliated, triggering an encounter, he said.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said that two unidentified militants and one ‘hardcore associate of terrorists’ were killed in the gunfight. He did not divulge further details.

Pertinently, this was the second encounter in south Kashmir in the last 24 hours. On Friday evening, two militants were killed and a policeman received injuries in a brief shootout in Kharpora-Arwani area of Anantnag district while police said an abducted cop was rescued during the operation.

After the outbreak of COVID-19, at least 20 militants have been killed in Kashmir. This includes five militants who were killed in a fierce gunfight in the Keran sector along the Line of Control, in which five Army soldiers also lost their lives.