Two Hizb militants killed in Bijbehara

SRINAGAR — Two militants affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) outfit were killed in a brief gunfight between militants and government forces in Sheetipora village of Bijbehara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Saturday evening.

A senior police official told news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that acting on a specific input, a joint team of Police, Army’s 3 RR and CRPF, after receiving information about the presence of militants, launched a search operation in the area.

He said that as the joint team of forces intensified searches towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon the party, which was retaliated, thus triggering an encounter.

He said that during the exchange of fire, two local militants affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen were killed and both were involved in several militancy-related cases.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that the slain duo were identified as Ishfaq Ahmad Ganie, a resident of Chakwangund, Anantnag and Yawar Ayub Dar of Dogripora Awantipora.

Pertinently, 12 militants including six locals and six non-locals were killed in Kashmir valley in the last four days.

On May 25, three non-local militants affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and a cop were killed in a ‘chance’ encounter in Kreeri area of Baramulla. On May 26, three non-local Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants and an Army porter was killed in an encounter in Kupwara district.

Two newly-recruited local militants affiliated with LeT namely Shahid Mushtaq Bhat from Hafroo Chadoora and Farhan Habib from Hakripora Pulwama who, according to police, killed TV artist Amreen Bhat were killed in an encounter in Aganhanzipora Awantipora on May 27. On the same day, two newly-recruited LeT militants namely Shakir Ahmed Waza and Afreen Aftab Bhat, both residents of Trenz Shopian, were killed in an encounter in Soura, Srinagar.