2 Army jawans, 4 militants killed in Kashmir encounter

ANANTNAG: Four unidentified militants, two Army jawans and a civilian were killed during a gunfight in Frisal area of Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday morning. A youth was killed and 15 people were injured in clashes that followed the gunfight.

Army jawans take position near the site of an encounter in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Sunday. Tribune photo: Amin War

Majid Jahangir and Suhail A Shah

Tribune News Service

Anantnag, February 12

Four unidentified militants, two Army jawans and a civilian were killed during a gunfight in Frisal area of Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday morning.

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State police had alerted security forces about the presence of militants at a tailor’s house in a village in Kulgam district.

Two army personnel identified as Sepoy Raghubeer Singh — a 31-year-old soldier from a village in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district — and Lance Naik Bhandoriya Gopal Singh — a 33-year-old from a village in Gujarat's Ahmedabad district — were killed, as was the tailor’s son, a civilian.

Three jawans were also injured during the gunfight.

"Three soldiers have also been injured, and have been airlifted to an Army hospital in Srinagar. Four AK-47 rifles have been recovered from the site of the encounter," an Army spokesperson said.

The dead militants have been identified as Muddasir Ahmed Tantray and Wakeel Ahmed Thokar, both from Lashkar-e-Toiba, and Farooq Ahmed Bhatt and Mohameed Younis Lone of Hizbul Mujahideen.

The security forces have achieved a "major success", Director General of Police SP Vaid said.

"However, it is unfortunate that two soldiers were martyred and son of the house owner got caught in the crossfire and succumbed to injuries," he said.

Tantray was an active militant since August 2014, while Thokar joined LeT in September last year.

Bhatt has been with Hizbul Mujahideen since June 2015, but Lone was recruited in January this year.

Officials said three militants — all believed injured — ran into nearby adjacent forests, Hizbul militant Altaf Kachroo is suspected to be among them.

Police are conducting serach operations in the area.

Hundreds, mostly youngsters, took to streets after the gunfight, provoking police into use tear gas and fire several live rounds to quell the protests, a policeman said.

A youth was killed and 15 people were injured in the clashes, the policeman said. The youngster who was killed in the protests has been identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Itoo.

Reports of clashes continued to come in from Kulgam when this was filed. (With inputs from agencies)