Srinagar, Aug 02: Two Hizb militants were Thursday killed in an encounter that raged between government forces and militants in Khumriyal area of northern Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
SSP Kupwara, Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar, said the gunfight broke out Thursday afternoon after Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police and the army launched a search operation in Khumriyal area following inputs about the presence of militants.
He said that the gunfight began after the hiding militants opened fire on the forces.
“Two militants were killed in the gunfight,” he said, adding that two rifles were recovered from their possession.
IGP Kashmir, according to GNS news agency, identified the slain militants as Zahoor Ahmad and Bilal Ahmad Shah of Shatmuqam village of Kupwara.
He said that the bodies of the duo were recovered along with weapons, which include an Insas rifle looted from a cop on Tuesday in Kandhar village in the district.
Later, a police spokesperson, briefing about the encounter, said that forces established a naka in the area andwhile checking at the naka point was going on, militants fired on the forces who retaliated.
He said that in a brief encounter, two militants were killed.
“The killed militants have been identified as Bilal Ahmad Shah, resident of Shatmuqam and Zahoor Ahmad,” police said, adding that they were affiliated with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
He said that both the militants were involved in several attacks on the security establishments and civilian atrocities in the area. “Besides one AK 47 and one INSAS rifle was recovered back from their possession which was yesterday snatched from a policeman in Kandhar area of Kupwara,” he added.
The police spokesman also added that no collateral damage occurred during the encounter.
“Police has registered a case and investigation into the matter has been initiated,” he said.
Mobile Internet service was suspended in Kupwara district following the killing.
Authorities said the step was taken as a “precautionary measure to maintain law and order in the district.”
Rifle snatched from bank security guard in Anantnag
Monitor News Bureau
Srinagar, Aug 02: Suspected militants on Thursday snatched the service rifle from a bank security guard in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Reports said that the militants overpowered the bank guard and snatched his 12-bore rifle at a branch of Jammu and Kashmir bank in Brakpora area, barely six kilometers from Anantnag town.
They said that forces cordoned off the area to nab the attackers.
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