Kashmir: Four militants killed in separate encounters

One of the slain militant was part of a group involved in the killing of Army soldier Aurangzeb and policeman Aqib Ahmad Wagay last year.

Meanwhile, authorities suspended mobile internet service in Pulwama, Anantnag and Sopore as a precautionary measure to prevent rumours. Train service on Badgam-Srinagar-Anantnag-Qazigund in south Kashmir to Banihal in Jammu was also suspended for security reasons.

Spokesman said troops of Rashitriya Rifles (RR), Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation at Panzgam, Awantipora, in Pulwama in the wee hours following a tip off about the presence of militants.

However, when the security forces were sealing the village and moving towards a particular area, militants hiding there opened fire with automatic weapons, they said adding fire was returned ensuing in an encounter.

He said two militants were killed in the initial exchange of fire when firing stopped. Later, when security forces were moving towards particular house to conduct searches, another militant resorted to indiscriminate firing.

Security forces again returned the fire and killed third militant. Locals alleged that three houses were damaged, one of them completely in security force action.

The slain militants were identified as Showkat Dar of Panzgam Awantipora, Muzaffar Sheikh of Tahab Pulwama and Irfan War of Wadoora Payeen Sopore, in Baramulla district, who had joined militancy recently.

He said the militants were affiliated with HM. They were wanted by law for their complicity in a series of militant activities, including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities. Several cases were registered against them, he said.

He said as per police records, Showkat Dar had a long history of crime records. He was involved in planning & executing a series of attacks in the area and many other civilian atrocities. He was part of a group involved in the killing of Army jawan Aurangzeb and killing of a policeman Aqib Ahmad Wagay last year. Several crime cases were registered against him.

Spokesman said Irfan War was part of militant groups responsible for conspiring and executing attacks on security establishments and civilian atrocities in the area. Accordingly, crime cases were registered against him.

Similarly, Muzafar Sheikh as per police records was also involved in several militant attacks on security establishments in the area. Several criminal cases were registered against him, he added.

He said incriminating materials including arms & ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter. Police has registered a case and all these materials have been taken in the case records for the purpose of investigation and to probe their complicity in other crimes.

He said with the efforts of police and security forces, it was a clean operation and no collateral damage took place during the exchange of fire. Citizens are requested not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials.

However, he said people are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials if any.