Four militants, army commando Killed, two soldiers, four civilians injured in Shopian Gunfight

SRINAGAR, NOV 20 (PTK): Four militants and an army commando were killed and two soldiers wounded in a gunfight in Nadigam village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday.

Reports said a joint team of army’s 34RR, 23 PARA and SOG Shopian cordoned off Nadigam around 2 AM folowing inputs about the presence of militants in the area. As the joint team of forces approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired a volley of bullets, reports said.

The forces retaliated, leading to a gunfight in which three soldiers were wounded. The injured soldiers were identified as Sepoy Shailender Singh of 34 RR, Lance Naik Somveer of 23 PARA and Havaldar Bhupinder Singh of 23 PARA.

Reports added that one of the critically wounded soldiers was shifted to 92 Base hospital in Srinagar where he succumbed. An official said that four militants were killed in the gunfight. Their bodies have been recovered, he said, adding they were establishing their identities.

Police official identified the slain as Inam ul Haq of Feripora, Abid Nazir Wagay of Paddarpora, Mehraj ud Din Najar of Drawni Zainapora and Basharat Ahmad of Chotigam. He said the slain were affiliated with Hizb ul Mujahideen militant group.

Meanwhile, clashes have been reported from both Pulwama and Shopian districts, wherein protestors took to the streets and pelted stones at the armed forces. The forces retaliated by firing teargas shells and pellets. Four civilians sustained injuries in the Shopian clashes after forces fired live ammunition and pellets at the protesters near the gunfight site.

Reports said that three girls, Simran Jan, Meenu Jan and Rafia Jan suffered bullet injuries while Bilal Ahmad suffered pellet injury in an eye during clashes with armed forces. Simran has suffered a bullet injury in her abdomen whereas Meenu Jan and Rafia Jan have been hit by bullets in foot and leg respectively.

All four have been shifted to a Srinagar hospital for specialized treatment.  (PTK)