Three militants were killed in an operation in Pulwama’s Tral area on Thursday. Three soldiers also sustained injuries in the gunfight, while over 10 protesters were injured in clashes that followed the encounter.
“A search party encircled a group of militants in higher reaches of Tral in the morning. The militants opened fire, which was retaliated. Three militants were neutralised and the bodies were recovered,” said a police officer. The slain militants were identified as Zubair Ahmad Bhat alias Abu Huraira, Shakoor Ahmad Parray alias Jaffar and Tawseef Ahmad Thoker alias Abu Talha, all residents of Pulwama district. “All the three were wanted for their complicity in a series of terror crimes,” said the police.
The police said Zubair was affiliated to the Jaish-e-Muhammad, while Shakoor and Tawseef were affiliated to Hizbul Mujahideen.
Scores of locals took to the streets during the operation in Tral. An official said the cavalcade of the security forces were pelted with stones. Security forces used tear smoke shells and pellet shotguns to chase away the protesters, leaving over 10 injured. According to hospital sources, around five protesters sustained pellet injuries in the clashes.
The authorities snapped internet services in the area as a precautionary measure.
Soldier dies in snow avalanche
In a separate incident, one solider was declared died and another sustained injured in an avalanche near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Pir Panjal valley's Poonch district on Thursday.
Officials said an army post located in Sawjian Sector of Poonch was swept by a snow avalanche and buried two soldiers. "The post was manned personnel of the Army's 40 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) near the LoC. The avalanche incident took place in the morning," said a local police official.
A police official said one soldier died in the incident. "The injured was shifted to a hospital. A search operation was started immediately launched. The duo was trapped under the snow,” the official said.
J&K witnessed a fresh spell of snowfall on December 2, with the Pir Panjal range receiving heavy snow. The administration has already issued avalanche warnings for vulnerable areas in the State.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Ranbir Singh, Northern Army Commander, met Governor Satya Pal Malik, at the Raj Bhavan and briefed the Governor about the prevailing security situation along the forward areas and the hinterland.
The Army officer also shared the details of the operational preparedness of the Army for anti-insurgency and measures being taken for ensuring safety and security of people living along the Line of Control and International Border.