SRINAGAR: A militant has been killed in one of the two ongoing gun battles between government forces and militants in Kashmir on Tuesday.
PTI PHOTOArmy personnel at the site where militants were hiding during an encounter in Kupwara district of Kashmir on Tuesday.“A militant identified as Bilal Ahmad of Karimabad Pulwama has been killed. The encounter has not yet finished,” said superintendent of police Pulwama, Rais Mohammad.
Two gun battles between government forces and militants were going-on at two separate places in Kashmir on Tuesday.
While one encounter raged between security forces and militants in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, another was going on in north Kashmir’s Kupwara.
A police official said the forces received inputs about the presence of militants in Gudoora village of Pulwama.
Following the information, a joint party of army’s 55 Rashtriya Rifles and police’s special operations group cordoned the village.
“The militants opened fire on the security forces. The cordon is in place and cross-firing is going on,” said the official.
Even as the encounter was underway, hundreds of youth around the encounter sight started pelting stones on the forces.
Police had to use tear gas shells to disperse the youth.
The stone pelting clashes were going on till late evening.
Meanwhile, searches continued in the forests of Kashmir’s frontier district of Kupwara after suspected militants opened fire on a patrolling party of security forces.
Police officials said that a joint party of 28 Rashtriya Rifles and police’s special operations group were patrolling the districts’ Darpora area when they were fired upon by suspected militants.
“There is intermittent firing between the forces and the militants. It is a huge forest area and the searches are going on,” said superintendent of police, Kupwara, Aijaz Ahmad.