Three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed in a 36-hour gun battle with security forces in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district in Kashmir which ended on Friday.
“Three holed up terrorists eliminated; bodies of two terrorists & three weapons recovered,” Army’s Northern Command said in a tweet.
Army officials at the Srinagar-based 15 Corps Headquarters, however, refused to comment on the operation.
A police official said two bodies were recovered from the debris of the house where the ultras were hiding.
The slain militants were both locals and identified as Majid Mohiuddin Zargar of Qoimoh in neighbouring Kulgam district and Ruhul Amin Dar of Vessu in Anantnag district.
“The bodies have been handed over to their kin for last rites,” he said. One of the bodies was severely burnt.
An Army jawan was injured in the gunfight that began in the early hours of Thursday.
The security forces had cordoned off the area on Wednesday evening following information about the presence of Lashkar militants there.
Resident killed
A 24-year-old man was killed allegedly after being hit by a “stray bullet” near the encounter site.
Arif Shah, a resident of the Sangam area of Anantnag district, was hit by the “stray bullet” when the security forces were dealing with a group indulging in stone-pelting near the encounter site, the official said.
However, locals alleged that Shah was killed during the security forces’ action against protesters. They claimed that several others were injured in the clashes between protesters and security forces. — PTI
