5 securitymen killed in 2018’s deadliest Kashmir encounter
SRINAGAR: In the bloodiest encounter in Kashmir so far this year, two policemen, three soldiers and five militants suspected to have recently crossed the Line of Control were killed in a gunbattle in a forest in Kupwara district that started a day earlier, officials said on Wednesday.
A police spokesperson identified the slain policemen as special police officer (SPO) Mohammad Yousuf of Kachama village of Kupwara, and selection grade constable Deepak Thesoo of Nagrota of the Jammu region. Another SPO, Javaid Ahmad ,was injured and his condition was said to be stable.
The dead soldiers were identified as Sepoy Ashraf Rather of 160 Territorial Army and Naik Ranjeet Kholka of 5 Bihar Regiment. The third soldier was yet to be identified.
“Bodies of five militants have been recovered and further details regarding them are a matter of investigation,” said Shamsher Hussain, senior superintendent of police, Kupwara.
Police officers said on condition of anonymity that the five are probably affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group. An official confirmation was still awaited.
According to the police, five heavily-armed militants suspected to be part of a “freshly infiltrated group” on Tuesday opened fire on a search party that retaliated, sparking the gunbattle.
Army and CPRF troopers and the police had launched the search after receiving specific information of militant presence in the areas.