Three militants killed in Pulwama encounter

Srinagar: Three militants were killed in a gunfight with the security forces in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Pulwama district on Friday, setting off fresh tensions in the area.

The area also witnessed protests by surging crowds which made repeated attempts to relocate to the encounter site while chanting pro-freedom slogans, apparently, to encourage militants holed up in a private house.

A teenager, Faizan Ahmed Khan, was killed and several other civilians were injured when the security forces fired live ammunition to quell stone-pelting mobs, police sources and witnesses said.

Reports said that the security forces including Army’s 55, Rashtriya Rifles, the J&K police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid siege to Thumna village in Pulwama’s Chatpora area following inputs about the presence of militants there.

While searches were on, fighting broke out between the militants and security forces during which three militants were killed. Confirming it, director general of police Shesh Paul Vaid wrote on Twitter, “All three militants killed, Good job boys.” In an earlier tweet, he had said, “Encounter in Pulwama, reportedly 3 terrorists trapped, exchange of fire going on. Details follow.”

The police said that the identities of the slain militants are being ascertained. While the encounter was underway, a rumour spread in the area that senior separatist leader Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai’s son Junaid Ashraf Khan was among the militants trapped in the house.

Twentysix-year-old Junaid went missing on March 23 after he left his Srinagar home to offer Friday prayers at a mosque. The next day, the family reported the matter to police but soon a photograph showing him holding an AK 47 assault rifle went viral on social media. The message posted with it said that he has joined the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Hospital sources said that civilian Faizan Khan, who was killed during clashes, had received a bullet injury in the abdomen. “He was brought here by a group of people but when we examined him he had already succumbed to his injuries,” said a doctor at the district hospital who requested not to be named.

Reports said that eight more people were injured in the security forces’ action against the protesters near the encounter site. One of them has received a pellet injury in his eye whereas a few others were hit by bullets, hospital sources said.

Earlier during the day, a suspected militant was killed in a gunfight with the security forces in Kachama forest area frontier Kupwara district, officials said.

In a separate incident, two Army jawans were injured when militants hurled a hand grenade towards a foot patrol at Ahagam in Shopian district of south Kashmir on Friday. The police said that the Army jawans suffered splinter injuries and were rushed to hospital where their condition was stated to be stable.

Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed responsibility for the attack. A search operation was launched in the area after the incident but no arrests were made till reports last came in.