Two militants, whom the police believe were behind two recent attacks in Srinagar, were killed in two separate encounters in the Valley on Friday. And a search operation continued for the second day in Poonch, where two Army men died in a fierce encounter with hiding militants on Friday.
“Shahid Bashir Sheikh, a resident of Srinagar, who was involved in the recent killing of civilian Muhammad Safi Dar October 2, was killed in a Pulwama encounter on Friday. One AK-47 rifle and a magazine were recovered,” Inspector-General of Police Vijay Kumar said.
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In a separate encounter in the heart of city, the police killed a militant. “The slain militant was behind the killing of Sub-Inspector Arshid Mir [on September 12 in the old city’s Khanyar area]. The militant was killed in Bemina,” Mr. Kumar stated. The police identified the militant as Tanzeel, a resident of the city’s Habba Kadal area.
Earlier this week, the police claimed that they had killed two militants , who were involved in two civilian killings, including a non-local vendor, in two separate encounters in south and north Kashmir.
Operation in forest area
The Army said its anti-militancy operation continued for the second day on Friday in the Nar Khas Forest in Poonch ’s Mendhar area, as it identified two soldiers who died of their injuries earlier in the day.
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The counter-terrorist operation by the Army was on in the area of Nar Khas Forest in Mendhar, Poonch District, since the evening of Thursday, a Jammu-based Army spokesman noted.
On Thursday, during the operation, there was an heavy exchange of fire. “In the gunfight, Rifleman Vikram Singh Negi and Rifleman Yogambar Singh were critically injured. They later died of their injuries,” the spokesman added.
Rifleman Negi, 26, was a resident of Viman Gaon, Tehri Garhwal, Uttrakhand, and rifleman Singh, 27, belonged to Sankari, Chamoli in Uttrakhand.
Multiple operations
Multiple anti-militancy operations are on in the Rajouri-Poonch belt since October 11, when five soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed by militants in Poonch’s Dehra Ki Gali, a forest range straddling the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri.
The operations have now spread to vast forest areas in Bhata Dhurian and Sanjiote villages, which fall on the Bhimber Gali belt.
There are fears multiple groups of militants were hiding in the forest areas, which is have a dense green cover and tough topography.
