Three Al-Badr militants killed in Shopian: IGP Vijay Kumar

SRINAGAR — Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar said that three local militants of Al-Badr outfit were killed in Shopian district of south Kashmir, while as two militants managed to flee from the gunfight site, whose blood trail was followed after which a cordon was launched in another village of the district.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of wreath laying ceremony of SPO Altaf Ahmed, who sustained bullet injury in Budgam gunfight and later succumbed, the IGP Kashmir said, “Yesterday late night, a cordon was laid in Imam Sahab area of Shopian district. Today morning, three militants of Al-Badr were killed in the operation. All three are locals. Two AK-47 rifles and one pistol have been recovered from their possession,” he said.

On the Budgam encounter, the IGP said that a cordon was laid in a village in Beerwah area of Budgam in the midnight and in the initial exchange of firing, SPO Altaf Ahmed and constable Manzoor Ahmed sustained injuries.

“Altaf succumbed to injuries later. There were reports of presence of a militant Yusuf Kandroo and another foreign militant. It seems that two militants sustained injuries in the first exchange, given the blood trial that was seen up to two kilometres from the site of encounter. We have cordoned the village where blood trail ended and searches are on,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention that news agency Global News Service (GNS) had earlier quoted IGP Kumar, saying the three militants killed in overnight gunfight in Shopian belonged to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit.