Two JeM militants killed in Budgam gunfight

Srinagar, Mar 29: Two militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit were killed and five army soldiers were injured in a gunfight at Chittergam, Nowgam in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Friday.
Reports said that a joint team of army’s 50 RR, SOG and CRPF laid a siege at Sutsoo Kalan area of Nowgam late Thursday night. “As the forces intensified the searches wee hours today (Friday), the militants opened fire triggering off a gunfight”.
Two militants were killed and five army men suffered injuries during the course of gunfight, they said, adding that the injured soldiers were evacuated to army’s 92 base hospital Badamibagh for treatment.
A police spokesman in a statement said that the cordon-and-search operation was launched by Police and security forces in the area following credible inputs about the presence of militants.
“As the searches were going on, the search party was fired upon by the hiding militants. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter,” the spokesman said.
“In the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. From the incriminating material recovered at the site of encounter, it is understood that both the slain are Pakistani Nationals identified as Ali and Idrees,” the spokesman said.
As per the police records, the slain were affiliated with JeM outfit and were wanted by law for their complicity in a series of attacks including the attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities, the spokesman said.
“They were involved in conspiring and executing many attacks in the area. Several crime cases were registered against both the militants,” he said.
“Arms and ammunition including rifles were recovered from the site of encounter. All the incriminating materials including rifles and ammunition have been taken in the case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other militancy cases. Police has registered a case in this regard,” the spokesman said. (With inputs from GNS)