Two unidentified militants killed in J&K’s Anantnag

Two unidentified militants were killed in Srigufwara area of Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday.

The encounter erupted after a joint team of Army's 3-Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in Shalgul forest in Srigufwara on Wednesday morning, police said.

As the joint search team approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, which was retaliated, triggering off a gunfight.

Inspector General Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar said two unidentified militants have been killed in the gunfight so far. “It is a deep forest, however, forces managed to take over the militants,” he said.

Sources said two more militants are believed to be trapped in the area. “There is a likelihood of the gun battle stretching to next day as the area is a deep forest,” they added.

As a ‘precautionary’ measure, internet services were snapped in the whole Anantnag district.

On February 19, three militants affiliated with Al-Badr outfit were killed in Badigam village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. Earlier on January 29, in the first encounter of 2021, three militants were killed in the volatile Tral area of Pulwama district.

Last year, 225 militants, including 46 commanders, and 60 security forces personnel, including 16 policemen were killed in over 103 anti-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir, while 38 civilians had also lost their lives in militancy related incidents.