3 LeT terrorists killed, policeman martyred in encounter in J&K's Shopian

Sri Nagar: Three unidentified militants and a policeman were killed in two separate encounters between security forces and ultras in Kashmir on Friday.

In the first gunfight that erupted late Thursday evening in Badigam village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, three militants were killed, a police official said. The gunfight erupted after a joint team of Army’s 44 Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police launched a cordon-and-search operation (CASO) on specific information about the presence of militants in the area.

As the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, which was retaliated, triggering an encounter, he said and added the identification and group affiliation of the slain ultras was not known immediately.

As a ‘precautionary measure’, internet services were snapped in Shopian district, reports said.

In a separate gun battle that erupted in Beerwah area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district, a special police officer (SPO) was killed and another policeman injured.

A police official said that SPO Altaf Ahmad was killed while another policeman identified as Manzoor Ahmad suffered injuries in an ongoing encounter in Beerwah. The gunfight broke out after a joint team of police and army launched a CASO in the area. A fierce exchange of firing was on when reports last came in.

This was the second encounter between militants and security forces this year. Earlier on January 29, three militants were killed in the first gun battle of 2021 in the Valley in the volatile Tral area of south Kashmir’s 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.

However, this year so-far violence has receded and only six militants have been killed in the first 50 days of the year.