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Updated: Jun 08, 2019 00:28 IST

Four Jaish-e-Mohammad militants, including two special police officers (SPOs) who deserted the forces and signed up with the militant outfit, were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said on Friday.

The forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in Panjran in Litter area after getting inputs about the presence of militants there. An encounter ensued when the hiding militants fired on the search party on Thursday evening. “The forces returned fire, leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, two listed terrorists and two SPOs who recently deserted the forces and became members of the proscribed terrorist organisation, JeM, were killed,” said police spokesman Manoj Kumar.

Police had Thursday initiated investigations after the two SPOs failed to report back at district police lines in Pulwama district. There have been several instances of security personnel, including SPOs, deserting the forces to join militant ranks.

The two listed militants have been identified as Ashiq Hussain Ganaie of Panjran Pulwama and Imran Ahmad Bhat of Arihal Pulwama. The two slain deserters are Mohammad Salman Khan of Shopian and Shabir Ahmad Dar of Pulwama.

Quoting police records, Kumar said Ganaie had a history of terror-related crimes and was part of a group involved in planning and executing militant attacks in the area. “Similarly, Imran Bhat was also involved in several terror attacks on security establishments in the area. Many terror crime cases have been registered against the duo.”

Incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, was recovered from the site of encounter.

“All these materials have been taken in the case records for the purpose of investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crimes,” the officer said. The police have requested people to co-operate till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all explosive material, if any. In a separate incident in Anantnag on Thursday, suspected militants opened fire on a Territorial Army jawan, who had come home on leave, critically wounding him. Identified as Manzoor Beg of Sadoora, he was taken to hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

A day earlier, on the day of Eid on Wednesday, suspected militants opened fire on a woman, Nigeena Bano, and another person in Pulwama. Both were taken to hospital, where Bano succumbed to injuries.

On Monday, a militant and his associate travelling in a vehicle were killed in a brief encounter at a checkpoint in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, according to the police.

Security forces have killed 101 militants and their associates in counter-insurgency operations till May this year.