Srinagar, Oct 8: Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants were killed and a civilian injured in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Tuesday, police said.
They said that security forces had launched a search operation late Monday night near Kawni area of Awantipora after being tipped off about the presence of militants.
“During the search operation, the hiding militant fired on the search party. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, one militant was killed and the body was retrieved from the site of encounter,” a police spokesperson said.
The slain militant was identified as Ufaid Lone, a local.
Later, the spokesperson said that one more militant was killed in the encounter.
“Another militant killed in the encounter has been identified as Abbas Ahmad Bhat, resident of Awantipora. The slain militant was affiliated with militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba,” the spokesperson said.
A police official of Awantipora said that the encounter took place in an orchard where one of the militants was killed in wee hours and another in the evening.
“When the house was zeroed in where militants were hiding, they resorted to heavy firing on the security forces triggering off a fierce encounter,” he said. “In the ensuing encounter, a militant was killed in the initial assault.”
He said that the search operation was on in the area to ensure presence of no other militant in the area or the house.
Pertinently, Kashmir witnessed three major encounters so far after the Article 370 was revoked on August 5 and of the three gunfights, two took place in Baramulla district while third one was witnessed in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. Tuesday’s gunfight in Pulwama was the first after August 5 in South Kashmir.
