3 Jaish militants, cop killed in Baramulla encounter

Three Pakistani militants belonging to proscribed Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) outfit and a Jammu and Kashmir policeman were killed in a fierce gunfight in north-western Baramulla district on Wednesday, the officials said.

The police termed it as a ‘chance encounter’ that took place at Najibhat crossing in Kreeri area of Baramula.

“There were nakas (makeshift checkpoints) laid across the Kashmir Valley today (Wednesday). At one such naka at Najibhat crossing in Kreeri area, there was a chance encounter with terrorists. Three Pakistani JeM terrorists were killed”, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range), Vijay Kumar, told reporters here.

He confirmed that police constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh laid down his life while fighting the militants and said, “While we at the J&K are pained at the loss of one of our jawans, the killing of the three terrorists is a huge success”.

The IGP said that the slain militant trio could have relocated to Srinagar to carry out “some big attack.”

He added that as per information available with the police they had been active in the hilly areas of Gulmarg for the last three to four months and were being “regularly tracked” by the police and the security forces.

He said that with the latest incident, as many as 22 Pakistani militants have been killed by the security forces

in their counterinsurgency operations, so far, this year. The IGP vowed to intensify the operations against Pakistani and other foreign militants in Kashmir.

Giving the details of Wednesday’s encounter, defence spokesman Emroz Musavi said that on receiving specific intelligence on the morning of May 25 that some suspected persons were moving towards Mirangund from Puthkah area of Baramulla in a Santro car, a joint team of the Indian Army, J&K police and its counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) launched a joint operation.

“The team was fired upon by the terrorists and a gunfight ensued between the two sides leading to elimination of three Pakistani terrorists,” he said. The J&K police

has identified the slain men as Ali Bhai, Hanief Bhai and Shah Wali. It said that incriminating materials and arms and ammunition including three AK-47 rifles with 15 magazines and 344 rounds, five Chinese grenades and three Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were found at the site of the encounter.

Meanwhile, an Army jawan was injured in a mine blast near Mankote sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K’s Poonch district on Wednesday. Identified as Naik Ajay Kumar, the soldier sustained multiple injuries on both legs in the blast, the Army sources said.

He was immediately evacuated to the Command Hospital in the garrison town of Udhampur by helicopter, the sources added.