First encounter of 2021: 3 Hizb militants killed

In the first such clash of 2021 in Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops on Friday claimed killing three suspected separatist militants in a gunfight in Tral region of southern Pulwama district. Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range), Vijay Kumar, said that the identities of the slain militants are being ascertained.

The brief encounter between the militants and a joint team of the J&K Police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group, the Army and Central Reserve Police Force took place in Tral’s Mandoora village on Friday afternoon.

The security forces had earlier during the day laid siege of the village and it’s neighbourhood on learning about the presence of militants. The IGP claimed that the militant trio holed up in the village were asked to lay down their weapons and surrender before the security forces but they refused and opened fire at the security forces, triggering the encounter. Mr. Kumar told reporters here, “The encounter was brief but effective”.

The police and Army sources said that one of the three militants trapped in a private house had tried to flee but was quickly “neutralised” by the security forces. The two other militants were also killed “just within next ten minutes”, the sources added.

The sources identified the slain militants as Waris Hassan, Arif Bashir and Syed Hafiz all residents of Tral town and reportedly members of indigenous outfit Hizb-ulMujahideen. One AK-47 rifle, one pistol and four hand grenades were recovered from the encounter site,” the police said.

Replying to questions, the IGP said that the J&K police has planned counseling sessions for Kashmiri youth to keep them away from the gun. He, however, said that parents have to play an important role to guide their children on to the “right path” and “keep them away from the evil of violence and terrorism”.

Separatist violence has sharply decreased in J&K in recent months. However, the incidence of cross-LoC infiltration and skirmishes between facing troops have shown an upward trend even as a large number of militants were gunned down by the Army and BSF along the de facto border and International Border.