2 soldiers, 2 militants killed in fierce gunfight in J&K’s Kulgam

Police officers said a joint team of personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG), the Army, and paramilitary forces cordoned off the forest area in Guddar village of Kulgam on Monday morning. The operation was launched after police received input about the presence of three militants in the area.

As the joint team of forces zeroed in on the target area, the hiding militants opened indiscriminate fire, sources said. In the initial burst of fire, three soldiers, including a Junior Commissioner Officer (JCO), were injured.

The security forces retaliated, leading to a fierce gunfight. One militant was killed in the initial exchange of fire, and injured soldiers were evacuated and rushed to the hospital. Police officers said that two soldiers succumbed at the hospital.

As the operation progressed, the joint team of forces killed another militant.

According to officials, police had received input about the presence of three militants, and the team is searching for the third.

Police are yet to identify the slain militants.

Saturday’s encounter took place close to the Akhal forests, where the Army had launched an 11-day military operation last month after inputs about the presence of five militants in the area. While a militant and two soldiers were killed in the 11-day operation, the other militants managed to escape.

Police say it is too early to say if the militants killed on Monday belong to the same group that escaped from the Akhal forests a month ago.

From the homepage

SC on amended Waqf Act: What has been stayed, what remains

Congress seeks 70 seats in Bihar, of these 27 are ‘good’ by its yardstick

‘Despite pleading, she purposely took us to a small hospital far away’: Wife of Finance Ministry officer killed in BMW accident to cops; driver arrested