Three militants killed in Pulwama gunfight

Troops had launched an op on Thursday evening after receiving tip-off about presence of militants

THE MILITANTS, BELIEVED TO BE LOCALS, WERE HIDING IN A HOUSE WHICH WAS DAMAGED DURING THE GUNFIGHT; FIRST MILITANT WAS KILLED EARLY ON FRIDAY MORNING

SRINAGAR: Security forces on Friday gunned down three militants during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, officials said.

The troops had launched an operation at Chewa Ullar in Tral of Pulwama on Thursday evening after receiving information about the presence of militants in the area.

Officials said the first militant was killed early on Friday morning and two more were killed later as the operation progressed. The militants, believed to be locals, were hiding in a house which was damaged during the gunfight.

A police spokesman said the militants were given an opportunity to surrender. However, they fired indiscriminately on the joint search party, which retaliated and led to the gun battle.

“Arms and ammunition, including two AK rifles, six AK magazines, five AK rounds, a pistol, a pistol magazine, four pistol rounds and other incriminating materials were recovered from the site. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their role and complicity in other terror crimes,” the spokesman said.

He said the bodies of the three militants have been sent to Handwara for conducting the last rites after completing medico-legal formalities, including collection of DNA.

“In case any family claims the killed terrorists as their kin, they can come forward for their identification and participation in the last rites at Handwara,” he said.

Security forces have stepped up the offensive in Kashmir Valley and killed more than 100 terrorists in operations since the beginning of this year. Forty militants were killed this month alone, and most of them were killed in south Kashmir, which is considered the hotbed of militancy in the region.