AWANTIPORE: State Police Chief S P Vaid who is addressing a news conference here said south Kashmir witnessed one of the biggest encounters of recent days. He said two soldiers were killed in the encounter at Kachdoora in Shopian and the operation is still going on.
Vaid said 25 civilians were injured by pellets in the subsequent clashes between the angry youth and police. He said six civilians were hit by bullets of which two died, one each at Kachdoora and Draggad. Vaid was here to address a news conference along with Lt Gen A K Bhat, the Commander of the Srinagar based 15 corps.
Seven militants were killed in Draggad and one militant was killed in Dyalgam. There are up to four militants in Kachdoora village where the operation is still going on, the police said. Police have not confirmed the killing of militants in this encounter so far. Unconfirmed reports said RR and SOG have killed three militants but they are unable to retrieve the bodies as the gun-battle is still ragging.
DGP said all the slain are locals. In Draggad, he said, there were six Hizb militants and one LeT militant who was killed in the encounter.
Lt General Anil Kumar Bhat, the Srinagar based Corpse Commander, spoke at the headquarters of the Victor Force, a Rashtriya Rifles formation, said the slain included two militants who were involved in the killing of Umar Fayaz, an army lieutenant, whose issue Delhi raised in the UN General Assembly in the last session. “We were looking for them for a long time,” General Bhat said. “We are happy that we avenged his death.”
