Four militants killed in encounters in J&K's Anantnag district

SRINAGAR: Four militants, including those responsible for the killing of an Army man in Anantnag district, were killed in two overnight encounters with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, police said.

The total number of militants killed in the twin encounters, which began on Saturday, in Shopian and Anantnag districts, has risen to five as an unidentified militant was killed late on Saturday.

"Two militants were killed in the encounter at Semthan in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district of south Kashmir," a police official said.

He said the encounter began on Saturday after security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area following inputs about the presence of militants there.

The exchange of fire went on till late evening and the security forces maintained a tight cordon of the area during the night to stop the ultras from fleeing.

The gunfight resumed this morning and in the exchange of fire, two militants were killed, the official said, adding a search operation is going on.

Police said the slain militants were responsible for the killing of Havaldar Mohammad Saleem AKhoon outside his residence at Goriwan in Bijbehara area on Friday.

"Terrorists responsible for the killing of Army jawan have been neutralised within two days in Bijbehara encounter," Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said.

Earlier on Sunday, two militants were killed in the operation at Hadipora area in the neighbouring Shopian district, taking the number of ultras killed in the operation to three, the police official said.

One militant was killed in the gunfight there on Saturday.

The IGP said one of the slain militants in Shopian encounter was newly recruited into militant ranks and security forces made sincere efforts to make him surrender, but the other militants did not allow him to give up arms.

"Parents also made appeals, but other terrorists didn't allow him to surrender," Kumar said.