SRINAGAR: Four militants killed in a gunfight with the counter-insurgent forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama and Kulgam districts were affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al Badr outfits, police said.
A police spokesman in a statement said that in Pulwama, during the intervening night, based on specific input about presence of militants in Puchal area of Pulwama, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Police, 183Bn CRPF and 55RR in the said area.
The spokesman said that during the search operation as the presence of militants got ascertained they were given repeated opportunities to surrender, however, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter.
“In the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. They have been identified as Kifayat Ramzan Sofi son of Mohammad Ramzan Sofi resident of Padgampora Awantipora affiliated with proscribed outfit LeT and Inayat Ahmad Dar son of Abdul Ahad Dar resident of Samboora Pulwama affiliated with proscribed outfit Al-Badr,” said the spokesman.
Similarly in Kulgam, during the intervening night, on credible inputs regarding the movement of militants on NHW, a joint naka by Police & 1RR was established by them at Zadora Qazigund. During naka checking, when a suspicious vehicle was signalled to stop by the naka party, two militants who were boarding the vehicle came out from the vehicle and started firing indiscriminately upon the joint naka party, he said, adding that however, the alert party retaliated the fire effectively, leading to the elimination of two militants on the spot.
“Bodies of both the slain militants were retrieved from the site of encounter and have been identified as Nasir Ahmad Pandith son of Mohd Ayoub resident of Redwani Kulgam and Shahbaz Ahmad Shah son of Ghulam Hassan Shah resident of Katrusu Kulgam, both affiliated with proscribed outfit LeT,” said the spokesman.
“As per police records, all the slain militants were part of groups involved in various crimes regarding which several crime cases stands registered against them. Arms, ammunition & other incriminating materials were recovered from both the encounter sites. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other crimes,” he said.
“In this connection, Police have registered cases under relevant sections of law and investigations have been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with police till the areas at both encounter sites are completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials, if any,” said the spokesman.
