Pulwama Army operation ends,two militants killed

While one of the militants was killed in the early hours of fighting on Sunday,the second militant was killed late on Sunday night,he said.

An army captain was also injured in the gun battle while two houses,where the militants had taken shelter,were damaged in the encounter.

The SSP identified the slain militants as self-styled group commander of JEM,Babar and his close associate Afaq,both residents of Pakistan.

Two AK assault rifles,ammunition and grenades were recovered from the possession of the slain militants,he said.

Soon after the search operation was called off,people assembled at the scene of the gun battle and participated in the ‘Nimaz-e-Jinazah’ (prayer before burial) of the slain militants,official sources said.

The encounter started early on Sunday when security forces cordoned off the village following specific information about the presence of militants,the sources said.

Finding themselves trapped,the militants opened fire on the joint search party,injuring a captain who was leading the operation,the sources said.

In retaliatory action,one militant was killed while another went into a house and took shelter. When the house was damaged,the militant shifted to a nearby house and continued firing on the security forces,the source said.

The gun battle continued throughout Sunday during which deafening sounds of explosions and gunfire rattled the village,the sources said.

After a lull in firing from the militant late on Sunday night,the security forces suspended the operation but strengthened the cordon around the scene of the gun battle to prevent him escaping,the sources said.

The sources said the operation was resumed on Monday morning with a burst of probing fire by security forces. Following no response from the militant,the security forces moved in and later recovered his dead body from the house.

The bodies of both the militants were later laid to rest at the local graveyard,the sources said.