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Five militants were killed on Sunday in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, said SP Vaid, Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir. Two security personnel – a policeman and an Army jawan – were also injured in the ongoing gunbattle.
Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Saddam Padder is also believed to be among the slain militants but police officials said it can only be confirmed after ascertaining the identity of the slain ultras.
A Kashmir University assistant professor who went missing last week is reportedly trapped along with militants.
Muhammad Rafi Bhat, an assistant professor in the sociology department of Kashmir University went missing on Friday afternoon. He belongs to Chunduna village in Ganderbal district.
The encounter comes a day after a top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Srinagar.
Shopian SSP Shailendra Mishra used the public address system offering trapped militants to surrender. However, the terrorists replied with fierce firing.
Acting on specific information about the presence of militants in Badigam village in Zainapora area of the south Kashmir district, security forces launched a cordon and search operation there this morning, a police official said.
Jammu & Kashmir: We appealed to them (terrorists) to surrender but continuous firing from inside is underway, cannot confirm the number of terrorists yet- Shailendra Mishra, SSP, Shopian on encounter underway between security forces and terrorists in Badigam pic.twitter.com/yqr8hBYbvr
— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2018
“The search operation turned into an encounter after the hiding militants fired upon the forces, which was retaliated,” the official said.
“The gunfight is still on,” he said, adding that further details were awaited.
Yesterday, three Lashkar militants – including commander Showkat Ahmed Tak – were gunned down in an encounter on the outskirts of Srinagar.
A civilian was killed in an accident near the encounter site, while three CRPF personnel were injured in the eight-hour-long encounter in the congested Chattabal area.