Three militants killed in J-K’s Pulwama, 16-yr-old dies of pellet wounds

india

Updated: Aug 09, 2017 21:19 IST

Three militants, who were part of a group led by Zakir Musa, were killed in an encounter in south Kashmir’s Pulwama on Wednesday.

A teen boy also died after suffering pellet injuries following protests that erupted near the site of the gun battle.

“Three militants of Zakir Musa’s group were killed in a gunfight that broke out between security forces and militants in Gulab Bagh village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district today,” a police spokesperson said.

Musa is now said to be the chief of a new al Qaeda faction in the Valley.

Forces had launched a search operation in the area after receiving inputs about the presence of militants.

The slain militants were identified as Zahid Ahmad Bhat, Mohammad Ishaq Bhat and Mohammad Ashraf Dar.

“Two AK 47 rifles and one pistol were seized from the encounter site,” the spokesperson said.

Ishaq and Zahid were involved in multiple cases of firing and hurling grenades at security forces. Ishaq was involved in a case of firing at a policeman and recording video of torture on Special Police Officers and circulating it over social media.

Meanwhile, the Hizbul Mujahedeen issued a statement to a lcoal news agency KNS, paying tributes to the militants and calling “companions, who have gone astray” to return to the militant group.

A 17-year-old Mohammad Yunus was hit by a pellet shell during protests near the encounter site and was declared brought dead to Srinagar’s SMHS hospital, a senior doctor at the hospital told HT.

“Post encounter a huge mob pelted stones upon a camp. During law and order situation, one person sustained pellet injuries and later on succumbed to his injuries,” the police statement said.

The encounter comes amid spike in the offensive against militants by security forces.

Since July 30, 14 militants have been killed in encounters in Kashmir. Five other infiltrators were gunned down along the LoC by the army in Machhil sector on August 5.

An army major and a soldier were killed on August 3, as militants fired on forces and escaped from the site of a gun-battle in Shopian district.

Abu Dujana -- a Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba militant -- was killed along with his accomplice in an encounter at Hakripora village in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on August 1.