3 militants killed, Army Major injured in Kashmir gunfights

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 9

Three militants and a civilian were killed while an Army Major was among those injured in two separate gunfights in Kashmir on Thursday.

Two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and a civilian were killed in a gunfight between militants and security forces in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.

The Lashkar militants slain in Pulwama slain have been identified as Jahangir Ahamd Ganaie and Mohammad Shafi Shergujari, who were associated with the LeT.

The civilian, identified as Amir Nazir, was killed by a stray bullet.

As soon as the security forces cordoned off Pulwama’s Padgampora village following information about the presence of three-four militants in a house, they were fired at, triggering the gunfight.

The militants, holed up in two adjacent houses, opened fire at security personnel at around 4.40 am and the troops retaliated, triggering a fierce gunbattle which lasted nine hours.

Following the gunfight, the Bannihal-Baramulla train service was stopped as the railway track moves close to Padgampora village.

In a separate incident, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant was killed and an Army Major was injured in a brief gunfight in north Kashmir's Bandipore in evening. 

Security forces had put up a check post near Bandipore police station following information that a militant was going to travel through the area, a police official said.

When the militant came in a cab, he was challenged by security forces but he opened fire, resulting in injuries to two soldiers, police said.

In the retaliatory firing by the security forces, the militant, identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Shergujri, was killed, he added.

A pistol and a hand grenade were recovered from the scene of the shootout, the official said. — With inputs from agencies