Three JeM militants killed in south Kashmir gunbattle

SRINAGAR — Security forces shot dead three local Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants in an encounter in Awantipora sub-district of south Kashmir on Thursday, police said.

They said the gunbattle erupted in the early hours at Nader Tral during a cordon and a search operation, which was launched following an input about militant presence.

“Security forces got a specific input about the movement of three terrorists in the area. Accordingly, a cordon was laid and it led to an encounter in which three terrorists were killed,” Inspector General of Police, Vidhi Kumar Birdi, told reporters near the site of the encounter.

Another senior police officer identified the trio as Asif Ahmed Sheikh, Amir Nabi, and Yawar Bhat—all residents of Pulwama district.

“The trio were affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad and Asif Sheikh was listed as ‘A’ category militant,” police said.

The 28-year-old from Munghama Tral, Asif, had joined the Jaish three years ago. His house, along with Amir’s, was blasted by joint forces after the massacre of tourists in Pahalgam.

This was the second gunbattle in South Kashmir since Tuesday. On May 13, three local militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district. The slain also included Shahid Kuttay, a local commander of the Lashkar.

After the Pahalgam attack on April 22, which left 26 civilians dead, security forces have intensified a crackdown against the militant groups in south Kashmir. While the three Lashkar militants, including two Pakistanis involved in the Pahalgam attack, continue to be at large, forces have been able to neutralise six local militants in the last 78 hours.