Three militants were killed in an operation of the security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Saturday, sparking violent protests and shutdown in the district.
A gunfight erupted on late Friday night when the security forces cordoned off Panzgom village, Pulwama, 30 km south of Srinagar following specific inputs about the presence of militants.
“Around 11:30 pm, a tip-off about presence of three militants was received. Around 12:30 am, a cordon was established. The militants were asked to surrender. However, they fired at the forces. In retaliatory fire, all the three militants were killed. The operation was over by 6 am,” said Brigadier K. Vini Gopal.
The slain militants were identified as Ishfaq Ahmad Dar and Ishfaq Ahmad Baba of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) outfit and Haseeb Ahmad Pahla of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Three AK-47 rifles were recovered from the slain militants, who all belong to Pulwama district.
Joint movement
“Of late, a joint movement of the Hizb and LeT militants is being observed in the Valley,” said Brigadier Gopal.
Hundreds of locals participated in the funeral prayers of the slain militants. Protesters also clashed with the security forces in parts of Pulwama. Security forces burst teargas shells to disperse protesters. A shutdown was observed in Pulwama town. The Army on Saturday paid tribute to Sepoy Ramesh Chand Yadav, who was killed in the firing of infiltrators in Kupwara Sector on Friday.
