Jammu and Kashmir: Two LeT militants including B Tech student, soldier killed in Sopore gunfight

SRINAGAR: Two Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists including a B.Tech student and an Army man were killed in an encounter in Sopore area of North Kashmir's Baramulla district on Friday.

A police officer said the CRPF, police and the Army launched a joint search operation after getting a tip off about the presence of the militants.

"After plugging all possible escape routes, security men asked the militants to surrender. However, they refused and began firing from automatic weapons at the forces,” he said.

The fire was returned by the troops, triggering an encounter.

In the ensuing gunfight, which continued for at least three hours, two LeT militants and an Army jawan were killed and a policeman was injured.

While, the martyred soldier was identified as Sepoy Sawar Vijay Kumar, the slain militants were identified as Riyaz Ahmed Dar and Khursheed Ahmed. Khursheed was a B.Tech student and had joined militancy only 48 hours back.

In between the face off with the security forces he had called his family to seek their forgiveness.

"I am trapped. Please forgive me if I have broken your trust or hurt you," he had told his father Ghulam Nabi Malik.

After Khursheed had gone missing, his mother and sisters had made a passionate appeal to him to return home and give up militancy.

Thousands of people attended the funeral prayers of the slain terrorists at their respective places in Soporea and Pulwama

Khursheed is the second highly educated militant to be killed in gunfight with security forces immediately after joining militancy.

Earlier, in May this year, Kashmir University Assistant professor Mohammad Rafi Bhat was killed in a gunfight with security forces in South Kashmir's Shopian district.

Five militants including Rafi and Hizb top commander Saddar Padder were also killed in the gunfight.