SRINAGAR, NOV 25 (PTK): Six militants and a soldier were killed in an encounter in Shopian village leading to clashes with protesters that left one civilian dead.
While one soldier of the territorial army was killed, another sustained injuries during a joint operation by the Rashtriya Rifles, special operations group (SOG) of the police and the Central Reserve Police Force, Army.
In the firing, the army soldier identified as Nazir Ahmad resident of Ashmuji Kulgam of 162 territorial army presently with army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles was killed.
Soon after the two hiding militants were also killed resulting in ending the operation.
An army spokesperson said killing of six militants and the soldier. He said arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain.
The slain militants are Abbas Bhat resident of Matribug, Mushtaq Ahmad resident of Checki Choland, Khalid Farooq resident of Shopian, Waseem Wagay resident of Amshipora and Umar Majid of Shurut Kulgam.
Abbas replaced former Hizb Shopian chief Zeenat-ul-Islam, who returned back to Al-Badr.
Today’s gunfight is fourth encounter in south Kashmir from last Sunday. Since then 12 militants including top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed in the last seven days. Of them six each were killed in Anantnag and Shopian, respectively.
After facing public resistance including protests by people to help militants escape around gunfight sites, forces have amended their strategy. The last three encounters point to this fact that forces prefer to finish encounters before dawn.
Meanwhile reports said that 10 bikes belonging to the relatives of militants were set ablaze by government forces outside the Shopian police lines
At day break as news of the encounter spread, villagers put up an intense protest, in which nearly two dozen civilians suffered injuries, leading to the death of at least one civilian .
Noman Ashraf Bhat died, while Faizan Ahmad, whom a bullet grazed past, is in hospital.
The police and paramilitary forces used tear smoke shells, pellets, and live ammunition to disperse the protests. In the incident, at least four youths suffered bullet wounds and sixteen others hit by pellets and tear smoke shells.
Moreover, three more persons were referred to Srinagar hospital for specialized treatment.
Fifteen injured were received at district hospital Kulgam, said a doctor, adding that six of them were referred to Srinagar for specialised treatment.
A senior health official In Kulgam said that they received a 25-year-old youth with firearm injury and a five girl with pellet injury.
“Both of them were given immediate treatment at the hospital and shifted to Srinagar hospital for specialised treatment,” he said.
Meanwhile, seven civilians among them six having sustained pellet injuries were received at Public Health Centre at Vehil.
Meanwhile “Citizens are 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,” said police spokesman in a statement. (PTK)
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