4 militants killed in ongoing Rafiabad gunfight: Army

Srinagar, August 8: Four militants were killed and an army soldier suffered injuries in an encounter in forests of Rafiabad in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday.
Reports said that a joint team of army’s 32 RR and 9 PARA commandos launched a cordon-and-search operation in the dense woods of upper reaches of Rafiabad today wee hours.
A police officer also confirmed the cordon in the woods of Naldagi- the mountainous area which connects the Uri sector and said that the joint team of forces and a group of militants had a stand-off today early in the morning.
He said that the commando of army’s 9 PARA namely Naresh Chander Bhutt was injured in the initial gunfight and was immediately evacuated to nearby MI Room where from he was later airlifted to 92 base military hospital here.
He said that in the ongoing gunfight, four militants have been killed so far in the operation. “Their identity and group affiliation are being ascertained”.
The militant group believed to be infiltrated recently through Uri sector, he said.
Army’s Srinagar based defence spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia in a statement issued here said that an encounter which broke out today in the morning at Lidder, Panzalla area of Rafiabad is still going on.
The spokesman said that so far four militants were killed in the ongoing operation.
“Lt Gen AK Bhatt, GOC, Chinar Corps compliments Kilo Force, Special Forces (SF) and 32 RR soldiers for killing four militants in the ongoing operations in the forests of Rafiabad. The SF team was specially inserted in the area of operations and have done an excellent job by neutralising these militants and thwarting their nefarious designs,” the spokesman said.
Earlier, DGP SP Vaid said that five militants were trapped in the gunfight. “Encounter going on in Dooniwari forest area of Police Station Dangiwacha Sopore, report of the presence of 5 militants. Wish success to our boys,” Director of General of Police Vaid said on Twitter.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)