Three militants killed in encounter in J-K’s Pahalgam

Police said the gunfight erupted on Sunday evening after security forces received inputs about presence of militants in Awoora village. They launched a cordon and search operation which triggered an encounter with the militants.

Three militants were killed on Monday in a gunfight with security forces in south Kashmir.

Indian army soldiers take position during an encounter with suspected militants in the village of Batal in Akhnoor District, some 50kms north of Jammu, on January 9. (AFP File Photo)

An army spokesperson said that three AK rifles were recovered from the militants who were killed in Awoora village of Pahalgam in Anantnag district. Police sources said the three were local militants.

Police said the gunfight erupted on Sunday evening after security forces received inputs about presence of militants in Awoora village. They launched a cordon and search operation which triggered an encounter with the militants.

Locals said as soon as the news of the encounter spread, people from neighbouring villages tried to march towards the site triggering clashes with the security forces.

On Sunday, security forces also arrested a suspected militant of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, believed to be an associate of slain LeT commander Abu Bakr in north Kashmir’s Sopore region.

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