Three militants killed in Valley

SRINAGAR/JAMMU: Three militants, including a Lashkar-eTaiba commander, and a policeman were killed in an encounter in Fateh Kadal in the downtown area of city on Wednesday, a senior police official said.

Police assisted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a cordon-and-search operation in Fateh Kadal following a specific intelligence input about the presence of militants. “Three militants, including Mehraj-ud-din Bangroo, were killed in the encounter,” inspector general of police, Kashmir, Swayam Prakash Pani said.

The other two militants have been identified as Fahad Mushtaq Waza and overground worker Rayees Ahmad, son of the owner of the house where the encounter took place. The IGP said Bangroo was involved in several killings in Srinagar and was the key coordinator for the Lashkar in the city. “Bangroo’s elimination is an important achievement for security forces,” Pani added. The policeman who died was identified as constable Kamal Kishore.

‘PAK RANGER’ SHOT

A man, purportedly a Pakistan Ranger, was shot dead when Border Security Force (BSF) personnel retaliated to unpro- voked firing from across the International Border in Arnia sub-sector of Jammu district on Wednesday afternoon.

A senior BSF officer said, “We fired five rounds. Exactly the extent of damage is not known as of now but it is expected that at least one among the three rogue elements was killed.”

The officer said the firing happened around 1.30 pm. “Most probably we have killed one of them. I cannot say for sure if they were Pakistan Rangers, rogue elements or terrorists but no civilian will dare to come close to the embankment and open fire at us. They were wearing Pathani suits,” the officer said.