Two unidentified militants killed in Kashmir’s Pulwama

Two unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with security forces south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday.

Reports said the gunfight erupted after security forces launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in Dangerpora, Pulwama, 26 km from here, in the wake of ‘specific inputs’ about the presence of militants in the area.

“As forces zeroed towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon forces which was retaliated, triggering an encounter,” a police official said and added two militants were killed in the gun battle.

In recent weeks, as part of a new strategy, police are not revealing the identities of the slain militants, and all the bodies of local ultras are taken either to north Kashmir or central Kashmir’s Sonamarg for burial to avoid huge gatherings at funerals.

In the last 15-days, eight encounters have been reported in south Kashmir in which 22 local militants and one of their associates have been killed.

Over 60 militants, including several top commanders of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) have been killed in counter-insurgency operations by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir this year so far. April witnessed the highest number of militant casualties with over 30 ultras killed.