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Two Lashkar militants killed in Kashmir encounter

by IBNS 30 Dec 2015, 07:40 pm

Srinagar, Dec 31 (IBNS) In a fierce gun battle with security forces two militants of banned militant group Lashkar-e-toiba were killed at a village in the Pulwama district of south Kashmir early on Thursday morning, said officials.

According to sources, the gunfight started after 53 RR unit of Army, along with Special Operation Group of the Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a cordon and search operation at Harpora locality of Gusoo village in Pulwama of South Kashmir on Wednesday evening.

The militants, who were holed up at a residential building in the locality, started firing when they were challenged.

Sources said the militants tried to break the cordon during night but security forces did not allow them to slip from cordon and both militants were killed on Thursday morning.

The deceased has been identified as Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Aloochibagh area of Kakapora in Pulwama district while the other deceased is believed to be a Pakistani national.

Two AK-47rifles, four magazines and other war-like stores were recovered from the site of the encounter, a police official told IBNS.

Earlier, reports said Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was trapped in the village, where youths from locality had held protests and resorted to stone-pelting on the security forces.

Police however denied rumors about the presence of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in the area. 

(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)