Srinagar: Three militants were killed and four armed forces personnel injured in a gunfight that broke out between security forces and militants during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday in the outskirts of Srinagar. The latest one happens barely 48 hours after two more such encounters in south Kashmir in which six militants and an army soldier were killed.
According to police officials, the encounter took place in the Pantha Chowk area of Srinagar. Three J&K police officials and a CRPF personnel were injured in the initial exchange of fire. The injured were shifted to a hospital.
Kashmir Zone police said on Twitter that three militants were eventually killed in the gunfight. Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar identified one of the slain militants as Suhail Ahmad Rather of proscribed militant outfit JeM.
"As revealed during yesterday's PC, terrorist Suhail was also involved in Zewan Terror Attack. All terrorists involved in Zewan attack have been neutralised," the IGP said.
He added that a total of 171 militants were killed this year.
"Out of them 19 were Pakistani terrorists, 152 local terrorists. Last year 37 civilians were killed but this year 34 civilians have been killed," the IGP said.
A police official said that based on "credible inputs" regarding the presence of militants in the Gomander Mohalla of Pantha Chowk, police and paramilitary troopers cordoned off the area and a search operation was launched.
"During the search operation, when a joint party of security forces entered a house, the militants hiding there fired indiscriminately in an unsuccessful attempt to flee. Unfortunately, three policemen and one CRPF jawan were injured during the firing. They were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment," a senior police officer told ETV Bharat.
Speaking about the present situation in the area, the official said, "Three militants hiding in the house were killed. The exchange of fire has stopped while the search operation is still on. Identification of the militants will be done once the operation is over."
This is the fifth encounter in the valley in the last week. South Kashmir districts have seen four of those. Fourteen militants and an army man have been killed in these encounters since December 25.
On November 13, militants attacked a police vehicle in the Zewan area of Srinagar in which three police personnel were killed and 11 others injured. Zewan is very close to Pantha Chowk.
