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2 LeT militants killed; two soldiers, army dog injured in Anantnag encounter
An encounter started after a joint team of police and army launched a search operation late on Sunday at Tangpawa area of Anantnag following inputs about the presence of militants
Security forces neutralised two local Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, while two soldiers and an army dog were injured in an overnight gunfight in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, officials said on Monday.
They said the encounter started after a joint team of police and army launched a search operation late on Sunday at Tangpawa area of Anantnag following inputs about the presence of militants. The searches triggered an exchange of fire and the encounter lasted till 7.30am on Monday.
“Two local categorised terrorists linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT killed in encounter. They were involved in several terror crime cases,” said additional director general of police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, in a tweet.
According to news agency PTI, the militants were identified as Aasif Ahmad Reshi, a resident of Sheikhpora Marhama Bijbehara, and Wakeel Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Naibasti Marhama.
Army’s Chinar Corps said the operation was launched jointly by them and the J&K Police leading to death of two militants and injuries to two soldiers and an army dog. “Two soldiers and an army dog were injured. Soldiers evacuated to 92 Base Hospital and are stable,” it said in a tweet.
“Army assault dog, Zoom, critically injured during the operation while confronting the terrorists. He is undergoing treatment at the army vet hospital in Srinagar,” it tweeted.
The forces recovered two AK rifles and other war-like stores from the slain militants.
On Wednesday (October 5), four local militants – including three members of Jaish-e-Mohammad and one from Lashkar-e Taiba – were killed in two separate encounters with security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district when home minister Amit Shah was in the Himalayan valley on a visit.
Police officials had said that three Jaish militants were killed at Drach while security forces gunned down one LeT militant at Moolu area of Shopian. Two of the three militants killed at Drach were responsible for killing a cop and a non-local labourer in Pulwama in the past two weeks.
On Sunday (October 2), the forces had neutralised a local militant of the LeT in Baskuchan area of Shopian.
On the same day, a policeman was killed and a CRPF man injured in a militant attack in Pinglena area of Pulwama.
Last month, as per the police, 16 militants were eliminated in Kashmir -- eight of them in south Kashmir, six in north Kashmir and two in Srinagar.
As many as 154 militants have been killed in Kashmir this year till September-end of whom, 115 were locals and the remaining foreigners.
