india

Updated: Mar 22, 2019 12:00 IST

At least five militants, including two of the Jaish-e-Mohammed group, have been killed in the last 24 hours by security forces in three districts of the Kashmir valley, Indian Army and police officials said on Friday.

Two of the militants were killed in Baramulla’s Kalantara Payeen in north Kashmir, another two in Hajin in north Bandipora and one in Shopian in south Kashmir, they said.

The encounter between security forces and militants in Mir Mohalla area of Hajjin started around 10am on Thursday. Security forces comprising of units of the army’s 13 Rashtriya Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF’s) 45 Battalion and Jammu and Kashmir police’s special operations group took part in the operation.

A gun battle also took place in Shopian’s Imam Sahib after security forces cordoned off the area following the information about the presence of militants. One of them was killed in the encounter.

A police spokesperson said on Friday one of the two militants killed in Kalantara Payeen in Baramulla has been identified as Aamir Rasool of Sopore and that the other was a Pakistani national. Both the bodies have been recovered and a search operation is in progress after the encounter started on Thursday, the spokesperson said.

“According to the police records, both the killed terrorists were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit JeM and were wanted by law for their complicity in a series of terror crimes including an attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities. They were involved in conspiring and executing many terror attacks in the area. Several terror crime cases were registered against both the terrorists,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said arms and ammunition, including AK 47 assault rifles, were recovered from the site of encounter. “All these materials have been taken in the case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror cases,” the officer said.

“Citizens are once again requested not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials if any,” he said.

Another gunfight was also underway in Sopore between militants and security forces, police said. The firing exchanges took place in Warpora area of Sopore, the same site of an encounter where two policemen were injured on Thursday, and the area has been cordoned off they said.

Police said there were no reports of any casualties in this gun battle so far. All educational institutions in Sopore were closed and mobile internet services suspended as a precautionary measure.