3 militants killed in encounter in JK’s Shopian

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 29

Three militants were killed in a gunfight in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, police said.

The gunfight erupted at around 5 pm on Tuesday when joint teams of security forces were carrying out a cordon and search operation at Melhora Zainpora in Shopian, over 50 km from Srinagar.

“As the combing was under way, the hiding militants opened fire which triggered a gunfight,” a police official said. "In the operation, three militants were killed."

Their identity and affiliation are not known.  

A police spokesman said the operation at Shopian continued through the night.

"Three militants have been killed and their bodies recovered," he said.

This is the second gunfight in Melhora in the past six days. On April 22, four militants were killed in the gunfight in the village.  

There have been a series of gunfights in south Kashmir in the past four days, in which nine militants and two militant associates were killed.

On Friday evening, two militants were killed in Kulgam district while they were trying to kidnap a policeman. On Saturday morning, two militants and their associate were killed in a gunfight in Awantipora sub-district. On Sunday evening, a gunfight erupted in Gudoora in Kulgam, in which a suspected militant associate was killed. Three militants were killed in Lowermunda in Kulgam on Monday.