Srinagar: While continuing with their intensified campaign against separatist militants in Jammu and Kashmir, the security forces on Sunday killed four more of them during an encounter in southern Shopian district.
The authorities identified the slain militants as Showkat Ahmed Mir alias Arshid, Azad Ahmed Khanday alias Moulvi, Suhail Yusuf and Rafi Hassan Mir-all local Kashmiris. They said that the fighting between the militants and the security forces in Panzar-Daramdora hamlet of Shopian’s Keegam area lasted for several hours.
A police spokesman here said that the security forces including Army’s Rashtriya Rifles, J&K police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid siege to Panzar-Daramdora to conduct searches early Sunday after receiving “credible input” about the presence of militants in the village.
“During searches, militants fired upon the search party. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter,” the spokesman said, adding that four militants were killed in the clash.
The spokesman said that slain militant Showkat Mir “had a long history of crime records since 2015 and was involved in several attacks on security forces” and that he was initially associated with Hizbul Mujahideen. He further said, “Showkat Mir was instrumental in the recruitment of three other militants killed with him on Sunday. “They had joined the militant fold recently,” the spokesman said.
Asked if the security forces also suffered casualties during the fire fight, the police spokesman said, “It was a clean operation. No collateral damage happened during the encounter.” Meanwhile, the security forces on Sunday afternoon launched a similar operation in Cherwan village of Kangan area in the Valley Ganderbal district.
