Two Jaish militants killed in Shopian

Two militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit were killed in an early morning encounter with security forces in south Kashmir's Shopian district on Wednesday.

A police spokesperson said based on a credible input about the presence of militants in Meemender village of Shopian, 55 kms from here, a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) was launched by the army and police during wee hours of Wednesday.

“As the searches were going on, militants fired upon which was retaliated by the forces leading to a gunfight. In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were killed,” he said and added the slain militants were affiliated with the Jaish and were wanted by the law for their complicity in several cases.

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The latest encounter comes at a time when war clouds are looming large after Indian Air Force (IAF)) strikes across the Line of Control reportedly killed 300 militants in Balakot area of Pakistan on Tuesday.

The airstrikes were carried out by the IAF in response to February 14 attack on a paramilitary convoy by Adil Ahmad Dar, a 21-year-old local militant, who rammed a car packed with huge explosives into a CRPF convoy killing 49 paramilitary personnel and injuring dozens of others. It was the deadliest single attack on security forces in Kashmir. Jaish, the terror group that operates from Pakistan, had claimed responsibility for the attack.