ENCOUNTER More than 20 civilians injured in clashes with the police
SRINAGAR: Four militants suspected to be running a local module of the Islamic State (IS), a policeman and a civilian were killed in Nowshera village of Anantnag district on Friday in the first encounter between militants and security forces since Jammu and Kashmir came under Governor’s Rule two days ago.
More than 20 civilians were injured in clashes between the police and local residents that erupted in the neighbourhood. The local villagers were trying to break a police cordon to help the militants escape.
All four militants, including the leader of the module Dawood Sofi, were locals who, the police said, were inspired by the ideology of the IS. It is the first time the local police have admitted that members of a militants’ module inspired by IS ideology had been killed in any operation.
Jammu and Kashmir director general of police, SP Vaid, said that the militants used to post on a website of the IS information about any attack they carried out on J&K police or the Central Reserve Police Force in J&K.
“The IS has no infrastructure in Kashmir. This group was headed by Dawood Sofi; earlier they were affiliated with Tahreek-ul-Mujahideen. In our records they were the only four (remaining IS-inspired) militants present in Kashmir,’’ he said, adding that a few of its members had died in an encounter in the past. “This group had carried out many attacks on the police and the CRPF.’’
Governor NN Vohra took charge of the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday, a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) walked out from its alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party, forcing chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to resign.
On Friday morning, after receiving credible information about the presence of the militants in Khiram area of Sirigufwara in Anantnag, a search was launched by a joint team of the army, CRPF and J&K police.
