Two Jaish militants killed in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Batmura village

Locals said that protests broke out in the area and villagers were trying to move towards the encounter site to give safe passage to militants. (Representational Image)

Two Jaish militants and a civilian were killed in an encounter in south Kashmir’s Batmura village. One of the militants is a local. The civilian killed has been identified as Beauty Jan.

The operation began last night when the Army and Police launched a joint operation at Batmura village close to Keller in Shopian district. The gunfight continued throughout the night. The forces had information about the presence of three militants in the area. In the morning Jan, 30, was killed when she was hit by a bullet near the encounter site. She succumbed on her way to the hospital. Locals said that protests broke out in the area and villagers were trying to move towards the encounter site to give safe passage to militants.

‘’Of the two killed terrorists one is a foreign terrorist and the other a local of Jaish militant outfit,’’ Deputy inspector General of Police, South Kashmir, S P Pani said. He said that one civilian who was critically injured in the cross fire also succumbed. ‘’We request people not to come out as the area is still not cleared.’’

On December 11, a woman was killed in firing at Unisoo village in Handwara. Three militants were also killed in that operation. “With today’s killing of a civilian in Batmuran, Shopian the number of civilians killed in Kashmir in 2017 has reached 60. This after the 100+ killed in 2016. For all the claims and rhetoric of reconciliation, this is a stark, sad reality,” NC spokesman, Junaid Azim Mattu tweeted.