Four militants killed in encounter in Kulgam
SRINAGAR : Four militants were killed in an encounter at South Kashmi’s Kulgam, 70 km from Srinagar, on Sunday.According to a Srinagar-based Army spokesman, two soldiers were killed and three others were injured in the operation. Two civilians were killed near the encounter site.
A gunfight erupted in Nagbal-Frisal, Kulgam on Saturday morning after four holed-up militants opened fire at a party of the security forces.The militants were identified as Mudasir Ahmad Tantray, Wakeel Ahmad Thokar, Farooq Ahmad Bhat and Muhammad Younis Lone, all residents of Kulgam.
The killings have fuelled massive protests in Kulgam. Preliminary reports suggest 15 people sustained injuries in the clashes. Two hospitals in south Kashmir are treating 12 civilians with bullet injuries. One of the civilians killed near the encounter site, identified as Mushtaq Ibrahim Yatoo, succumbed to the bullet injuries in a hospital.
The encounter was followed by massive clashes between the protestors and police, in which at least two dozen people were injured. Most of them sustained bullet injuries and four of them were shifted to Srinagar for treatment. One of the injured men, 25-year-old Mushtaq Ibraheem, died in the district hospital.
“The police did not allow protesters to break the cordon and go to the spot of encounter… there was stone pelting… bullets and pellets were used to disperse the protestors,” said SP Vaid, the state police chief.
According to top army sources, the group of seven terrorists – belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba — had gathered at the house for a meeting. Three managed to escape, one of them in an injured state, after the security forces struck the hideout late last night.
“We have killed four terrorists — two each from Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba. It is a big success for the army and would definitely dampen the morale of the terrorists,” said Brigadier R Chakarwarty.
South Kashmir is the hub for homegrown terrorism. Since July last year, 59 locals have joined the ranks of terrorists, say officials. The anti-terror operations had stopped during five months of unrest following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani but had resumed after the protests fizzled out.
