Nine Militants Killed In 24 Hours In Encounters With Security Forces In J-K's Shopian

Nine militants were killed in the last 24 hours in Shopian district of South Kashmir. A day after five militants were killed in the area, four more militants were killed Monday in an encounter with security forces in Shopian.  

The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Pinjora area of the district in South Kashmir this morning after receiving information about the presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said the operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fired on personnel of a search party, who retaliated. In the exchange of fire, four militants were killed.

Police have not revealed the identity of the slain militants or their group affiliation as part of a new policy to prevent youngsters from joining militant ranks.

This is the second encounter in Shopian district in the past 24 hours. 

Five Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including a self-styled commander, were killed in a gun battle with security forces in the district's Reban area on Sunday.