Two militants killed in encounter in Shopian district in J&K

Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces, in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, on Wednesday.

“Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Dragad area of Shopian district following information about presence of militants there,” a police official said.

The official said that the search operation turned into an encounter, after the militants opened fire on the security forces, who in turn, retaliated.

One of the killed terrorists has been identified as Adil Wani, who was active since July 2020, and was involved in the killing of a labourer in Pulwama.

However, the identity and group affiliation of the other terrorist has still not been found, and the police said that an investigation is underway.

Last week, the security forces had trapped top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Umar Mushtaq Khandey during a similar encounter in the Pampore area of Pulwama district in J&K.

As of now, 15 terrorists have been killed in the eight encounters conducted by the security forces, after the recent civilian killings in J&K. The officials said that many terrorists had fled to south Kashmir after the civilian killings.

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According to a report by India Today, the targeting of non-locals in the Kashmir valley is believed to be a sign of ‘desperation’ among the militants, due to the ongoing crackdown on their operations by the security forces.

More than 11 migrant people have been killed in the past few weeks in J&K, and more than five soldiers have also been killed in an encounter on October 10.

AS per estimates, more than three lakh labourers come to J&K from across the country for work, and while most leave before winter, some stay back through the year.

(With inputs from Agencies)