One militant and a civilian were killed in a late-night shootout on Thursday in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, the police said on Friday.
A police spokesman said an operation was launched at Herpora-Kanelwan-Karvel, Anantnag, on a specific input about the presence of three militants on Thursday night. “Militants fired on the search party, resulting in an exchange of fire. Around midnight, taking advantage of the darkness, two militants fired and managed to escape,” said the spokesman.
The police said one civilian was killed in the firing. Later, family members identified the victim as Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Bhat, a resident of Arwini. According to the police, Bhat was riding a motorcycle “when he got killed in the crossfire”.
“One militant of Hizbul Mujahideen, Yawar Nissar Shergujri alias Algazi, was also killed in the encounter,” said the spokesman. Shergujri, sources said, had joined militancy last month.
Arms seized
Rifleman Rohit Kumar sustained injuries in the operation. One self-loading rifle, two magazines, 40 rounds of ammunition and one Chinese hand grenade were recovered from the slain militant, the police said.
Clashes erupted in Anantnag after locals, who attended the militant’s funeral, threw stones at the security forces.
