Two unidentified militants killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Redwani area of Kulgam district late on Wednesday night

Two local militants affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)/The Resistance Front (TRF) were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Thursday.

“#KulgamEncounterUpdate: 02 unidentified #terrorists killed. Search going on. Further details shall follow,” Kashmir Zone Police tweeted.

The gunfight broke out in Redwani Bala village of Kulgam during the wee hours of Thursday after the security forces cordoned off the area following inputs about the presence of militants there, reports said.

A police official said as the security forces approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, as they tried to break the security cordon. However, the two were killed during the encounter that lasted several hours, he said.

While the police were yet to identify the deceased militants, sources said, they were affiliated with TRF, an affiliate of Pakistan-based LeT outfit and were locals.

In the last five days, six militants have been killed in various encounters across Kashmir. On Wednesday, a top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militant, Feroz Ahmad Dar, was killed in the neighbouring Pulwama district.

Also Read | Top Pakistani LeT terrorist killed in encounter with Army in Poonch

On Monday, two more militants were killed at Rangreth on the outskirts of Srinagar city. Another militant was killed in the Awantipora area of Pulwama on Sunday.

159 militants have been killed in the Valley so far this year, of which 137 were locals and 22 Pakistanis. In 2020, the number of militants killed in the Valley stood at 195. According to official estimates over 200 militants were still active in the Valley.

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