Security forces gun down 4 LeT terrorists in J-K's Shopian; 3 Army men die in road mishap on way to encounter site

New Delhi, April 14

Four Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Thursday, while three Army personnel lost their lives and five others were injured as their vehicle met with an accident on way to the site of the gunbattle, officials said.

On receiving information about the presence of terrorists at Badigam in Shopian’s Zainapora area, the security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation, a police official said.

During the operation, the terrorists fired upon the forces, which led to an encounter, he added.

In the exchange of fire, four terrorists were killed, the official said.

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the slain ultras were members of proscribed terror outfit LeT.

“LeT #terrorists neutralised in today’s #encounter were active in Shopian & adjacent areas of Pulwama. They were involved in 6 #terror crimes including attacks on outside labourers. Hunt for their associates like Aijaz of Pulwama is on & they will be neutralised soon,” Kumar wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, three Army personnel lost their lives and five others were injured after the vehicle they were traveling in overturned near Kanipora village of Shopian district en route to the encounter site at Badigam.

Owing to wet road conditions, the driver seemingly lost control over the vehicle and it skidded off the road. The eight injured soldiers were shifted to District Hospital Shopian, where two of them were declared dead. One soldier had received minor injuries and was discharged from the hospital.

The five other injured soldiers were evacuated to 92 Base Hospital, Srinagar, where one of them succumbed to his injuries, taking the toll to three. Four soldiers are presently being treated at the 92 Base Hospital.

Ministry of Defence spokesperson said from Srinagar that reports of the accident having been caused by a stone-pelting incident are false. —with PTI inputs from Srinagar