2 militants killed, 2 soldiers injured in Kulgam gunfight
JOINT OPERATION Their identity, affiliation are being ascertained, say officials
SRINAGAR/JAMMU : Two militants were killed and two soldiers were injured during a gunfight in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Saturday, officials said.
Kulgam superintendent of police Gurinderpal Singh said a joint operation was launched by the Indian Army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu and Kashmir Police at Arreh village.
He said as the forces were conducting a search in the area, militants fired upon them. The forces retaliated and a militant was killed in the ensuing encounter. Later, another militant was also gunned down. Two soldiers were also injured during the exchange of fire and were rushed to a hospital, he added.
The identity and affiliation of the militant is being ascertained, officials said.
According to sources, two to three militants are still present in the village.
On Friday, a local militant Zahid Dass was killed during an encounter in Malbagh on the outskirts of Srinagar. His accomplices had managed to escape under the cover of darkness. A CRPF personnel was also killed in the gunbattle.
In last six months, 118 militants have been killed in different encounters. As compared to last year, police said, the local recruitment has witnessed nearly 50% decline.
Terrorist hideout busted in Rajouri
A terrorist hideout was busted in a remote village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, leading to the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition, officials said.
The hideout was unearthed during a joint search operation by police and the Rashtriya Rifles in Dardasan village of the Thanamandi area, the officials said.
They said the recoveries made from the hideout included two Chinese pistols with two magazines, an under barrel grenade launcher (UBGL) with 11 rifle grenades, 14 magazines of AK assault rifle with 920 rounds and a Chinese hand grenade.
A large quantity of material used in the making of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), including batteries and wires, was also seized from the hideout, the officials said. However, no one was arrested in connection with the recovery so far, the officials said.