Three Hizbul militants killed in South Kashmir's Pulwama district
By FnF Defence Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 03, Mar 2016, 12:00 pm IST | UPDATED: 04, Mar 2016, 11:44 am IST
Srinagar: Three Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in an overnight encounter in Tral area of South Kashmir's Pulwama district, an army official said on Thursday.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Dadsara area of Tral last night, following information about the presence of militants there, the official said.
The official said in the ensuing gunfight, three local militants of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed.
The slain militants have been identified as Ashiq Hussain Bhat, Mohammad Isaq Parray and Asif Ahmed Mir, the official said, adding that Bhat was involved in providing shelter to militants involved in Udhampur attack on a BSF convoy last year.
Three AK rifles have been recovered from the scene of the gun battle, where search and sanitisation operation are in progress, the official said.
On Wednesday evening, a joint team of police and army cordoned-off the Mirpora village of Tral after inputs about the presence of slain militants. As the joint team was zeroing-in on the target, the holed up militants opened fire resulting in an encounter which lasted several hours.
All the three militants trapped in the village have been killed in the encounter and police have recovered three rifles from their possession.
As police and army cordoned-off the village, people assembled outside and threw stones at police in a bid to help militants escape. A civilian was injured when he was hit in shoulder by a tear smoke shell fired by police to disperse the protestors.