Two militants were killed in an operation in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday.
“During a search operation in village Nipora Zadoora, the hiding terrorists were given an opportunity to surrender. However, they opened fire and lobbed grenades on the search party. Both were killed in the retaliatory fire,” said Vijay Kumar, Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir.
The police said the bodies were recovered from the site of the gunfight. The identity and the affiliation of the terrorists were being ascertained. Arms and ammunition were recovered, they said.
Fourteen militants were killed in three operations in Shopian earlier this month. With Saturday’s gunfight, the number of militants killed so far this month has gone up to 16.
IED defused
The police said an improvised explosive device was detected and defused in north Kashmir on Saturday. A road opening party of the CRPF’s 3rd Battalion spotted the IED, fitted to a gas cylinder, on the roadside at the Lawdara Crossing near Nadihal on the Bandipora-Srinagar Highway.
He said a bomb disposal squad of the police, the Army and the CRPF was pressed into action to defuse the IED.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that it was planted to target the convoys of security forces passing through the area...,” the police said.