5 militants killed in Shopian gunfight

Box

14 killed in 4 days

June 7: Five militants killed in Rebban area of Shopian district

June 8: Four ultras gunned down in Pinjoora village of the district

June 10: Five militants killed in Sugoo-Hendhama village in Shopian

27 militants have been killed in the south Kashmir district in 2 weeks

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, June 10

Five militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district today, taking to 14 the number of ultras gunned down in the area over the last four days.

The slain militants were locals and belonged to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba, the police said.

Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said the encounter again reinforced the fact that Hizb and Lashkar militants were working together. “A Hizbul district commander was among those killed,” he said.

Following specific inputs, a search and cordon operation was launched early in the morning at Sugoo-Hendhama village, the police said. The militants were told to surrender after contact was established, but they resorted to firing. The fire was retaliated and the militants were killed, an official said. “The bodies of the militants have been retrieved along with arms and ammunition and some incriminating documents,” the official said.

The authorities have snapped internet services in Shopian. That, however, could not prevent clashes from erupting around the encounter site.

Meanwhile, the body of a civilian, Tariq Ahmad Pala, from Pinjoora village in Shopian in whose house militants were found hiding when a gunfight erupted on June 8 was recovered from near the village today. Tariq was abducted by unidentified gunmen last evening and his body bore torture marks, the police said.

“Tariq was abducted at gunpoint. We received information about a body lying near Pinjoora, which was identified to be that of Tariq,” an official said.