Srinagar
Bodies of two militants have been recovered after a gunfight with security forces in a residential area in south Kashmir’s Shopian on Tuesday morning. According to the Director General of Police, the militants are believed to be part of the Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Two soldiers were injured in the gun battle.
Initial reports suggested that two Army men, including a Junior Commissioned Officer, received injuries in the first exchange of fire, as the militants were holed up inside a house at Kundalan village, over 60 km away from Srinagar.
“Two to three militants are believed to be trapped at the encounter site,” a police official said.
The Army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles, the police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the CRPF engaged the militants in the gunfight.
Locals said the father of an active militant, Zeenat Naikoo from Memender, died of a cardiac arrest after the militant reportedly spoke to his family on the phone. However, the police could not confirm whether Naikoo is trapped or not at the encounter site.
Pelting of stones
Scores of locals in the area resorted to pelting of stones around the encounter site. Three youth injured in the clashes with security forces were shifted to hospitals.
The district administration has ordered the closure of all schools “as a precautionary measure”.
