Two militants killed in encounter with forces in Anantnag

: Two militants, suspected to be Pakistanis, were killed in an overnight encounter in restive south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, officials said on Saturday.

A police spokesperson said that preliminary investigation revealed that both the militants killed in the encounter at Shishtargam, Dooru were Pakistanis.

He added: “Further based on the seizures made from the spot and other incriminating materials collected so far have confirmed that the killed terrorists were a part of outlawed Jaish-eMohammad (JeM) outfit.”

As a part of a joint operation, Anantnag police along with 19 RR (Rashtriya Rifles) and CRPF launched a search in the area which led to a gun-battle between forces and the hiding militants.

Late on Friday night, police had confirmed that there was some exchange of fire reported from the area.

The JeM, in a statement to local news agency GNS, owned the two slain militants.

The Dooru encounter comes two days after two policemen, three soldiers and five militants were killed in the bloodiest encounter yet this year in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

The five militants were affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The JeM was behind an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in north Kashmir’s Sopore town in January that left four policemen dead.

In the same month, five JeM militants on a suicide mission and attempting to infiltrate into India across the Line of Control on a boat in north Kashmir’s Uri were gunned down by security forces.

SRINAGAR