A soldier and a militant have been killed in an ongoing operation in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Police sources said one militant is killed in the encounter, which followed a search operation launched in the morning in Rafiabad’s Ladoora area, 55 km north of Srinagar.
The dead militant is identified as Riyaz Ahmad, a resident of Brath Kalan, Sopore.
A soldier has also lost his life after he was reportedly hit by bullets at the encounter site. The Army has not revealed the name of the dead soldier so far.
Police sources told The Hindu that one more holed up militant continued to fire at the search party as the operation continues for more than 11 hours.
Resident and eyewitnesses, however, claimed that the security forces were using explosives to blast a few houses to end the operation before sunset.
Preliminary reports suggest operational commander of splinter group of Hizbul Mujahideen Qayoom Najar may be trapped in the house. However, there is no official confirmation about the number of militants and their identity.
The operation was on till last reports came in at around 4.30 p.m.
