Srinagar, June 19:
A total of eight militants have been gunned down in two fierce encounters in south Kashmir. Joint operations are still continuing in Pampore and Shopian since Thursday night.
Two militants have been killed so far and the bodies have been retrieved from the Pampore encounter site. In Shopian, the forces gunned down four militants who were trapped in a gunbattle since Thursday.
In the Pampore gunbattle between militants and security forces, commandos of the Special Operations Group failed to convince the militants to surrender and the forces then entered a mosque. Two militants were holed up inside the mosque since Thursday morning and the gunbattle has continued since then. Both the militants in the Pampore encounter have been killed.
J&K Police DGP Dilbag Singh said, “Both the ongoing operations resumed in the morning today. At Meej Pampore, after the killings of one militant, two others entered the local Jamia Mosque which is a huge structure. Forces have exercised restraint and only limited tactics have been used. Operation team is on the job.”
Kashmir Police IG said, “The Pampore operation took time but forces maintained the sanctity of the mosque. Both terrorists hiding inside the mosque have been killed. The operation is over.”
At Munand Shopian, forces have killed four militants, taking the total to six so far.
Jammu and Kashmir Police has said the forces have killed 100 militants in Kashmir this year.
