Army jawan, two militants killed in encounter in J-K’s Bandipora district

An army jawan and two militants were killed in a gunfight in Bandipora in northern Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, as security forces battled another group holed up in a house in a nearby area.

A gunfight broke out early Friday when security forces surrounded an orchard in Naidkha area of Bandipora district, leaving a soldier of 13 Rashtriya Rifles and two militants dead.

Two weapons, a grenade launcher along with other war-like stores were recovered from the militants whose identity is yet to be ascertained, said army spokesperson in Srinagar.

This is the second such encounter in the area in two days.

Two militants were killed on November 22 and a cache of arms and also two freshly minted Rs 2,000 notes were found on the men suspected to be members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba.

While a combing operation was on in Bandipora, the army and police had launched a joint operation at Tujjar Sharief in Sopore district where one or two militants were hiding in a house. The gunfight started on Thursday, television reports said.

Jammu and Kashmir has seen a rise in gunfights within the state and along the border as ties between India and Pakistan have plunged to a new low.

Pakistani troops killed three Indian soldiers and mutilated one of the bodies close to line of control, the de factor border, in Macchil sector by on November 23, with the army vowing retribution.

Fourteen Pakistanis, including civilians, were killed in heavy the shelling the next day.

India blames Pakistan for pushing militants into its territory, with soldiers offering them cover fire along the border.

Jammu and Kashmir recently started limping back to normal after four months of violent street protests.

First Published: Nov 25, 2016 09:14 IST