Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, July 15: Three militants were killed in fierce gun battle a Satoora village of Tral in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said.
Police said that three militants were killed in the encounter in Tral that ended this evening.
The gunfight raged after security forces launched search operation following specific inputs about the presence of militants in Satoora forest.
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As the Army’s 42 Rashtriya Rifles got information about the presence of militants in the area, they immediately cordoned it off and were joined by 180th Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Special Operations Group of Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Militants after getting trapped fired upon troops leading to an encounter which lasted till this evening. Two militants were killed in the first firefight but one militant was neutralized this evening. Three bodies have been recovered and security forces also recovered 3 AK- 47 rifles, one UBGL, 13 magazines of AK-47 and one radio set.
Two of the militants have been identified as Pervaiz Ahmad Wani of Pahoo Pulwama and Mukhtar Ahmad Lone of Harpura, Ameerabad in Tral area of Pulwama. Lone had joined the militancy on June 14 this year and was killed after a month. The third militant has been identified as Hassan Bhai of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, clashes erupted between the protesters and security forces in Satoora village after the news of encounter spread. Scores of protesters sustained minor injuries during the clashes, who were shifted to PHC Aripal for treatment. The mobile Internet services have also been snapped in Tral area as a precautionary measure.
Meanwhile, a CRPF officer was injured today when militants hurled a grenade attack in Kulgam district of South Kashmir on their party.
Militants hurled a grenade at a patrolling party of the CRPF in the main town of Kulgam this afternoon in which Assistant Sub-Inspector of the force, Rajinder Singh was injured. The injured officer was shifted to a hospital.
The area was immediately cordoned off and CRPF nabbed the grenade thrower. He was thrashed and taken into custody for interrogation. The security was tightened in the area after the attack.
Meanwhile, life in Old City here and in Main Town of Anantnag district was today affected due to shutdowns by locals during which minor clashes raged between protesters and security forces.
A shutdown was observed in parts of Old City including Nowhatta, Bohri Kadal, Khwaja Bazar, Mallarata and Naid Kadal against the killing of local militant Sajad Gilkar in a recent gunfight at Budgam district. Contingents of police and paramilitary were deployed in these areas to thwart protests.
However, protesters pelted stones on security forces at Bohri Kadal, Nowhatta and Naid Kadal areas. They were chased away by the security personnel and the order was restored. However, the shops remained closed in these areas throughout the day. The life in other areas of Old City returned to normal and the day passed off peacefully.
In Main Town of Anantnag district, a shutdown was observed against the alleged desecration of local Grand Mosque by security forces during yesterday’s clashes. The call for shutdown was given by local Auqaf Committee to protest the alleged desecration and also to seek release of youths detained by police. Police said the day passed off peacefully and no major incident of violence was reported.
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