Soldier, policeman killed in Pulwama encounter

The identities of the security men have not been released officially.

An Army jawan and a policeman were killed in an encounter with militants in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Tuesday, a day after three Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in neighbouring Shopian.

Three local Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including a commander and a former cop involved in a major weapons’ heist in 2018,were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Monday. (HT Photo)

Officials said that the gunfight started after a joint party of security forces cordoned off the Zantrag Khrew area of Awantipora in Pulwama after receiving information about the presence of militants there. The militants opened fire on the forces shortly after, triggering an exchange of fire, they added.

“A policeman and an Army jawan have died in the encounter. The operation is still going on,” said Atul Kumar Goel, deputy inspector general of police, south Kashmir.

The identities of the security men have not been released officially.

According to government officials, the slain policeman is a special police officer(SPO) from Rajouri district.

Locals and eyewitnesses suspect the militants might have escaped.

“Security forces have been conducting searches for some time, but there has been no exchange of fire now,” said a resident.

This is the fifth encounter between militants and security forces in Kashmir this year.

Three local Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including a commander and a former cop involved in a major weapons’ heist in 2018,were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Monday. A local Hizbul militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on January 14.

On January 12, three Hizbul militants were killed in a gun battle with security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. One of the slain militants was commander Umer Fayaz Lone, alias Hamad Khan,a resident of Tral in south Kashmir.

In the first encounter of 2020, a young man from south Kashmir who joined a militant group earlier in the year was killed in an encounter with security forces in Awantipora on January 7.

Shahid Ahmad, believed to be in his late teens, was killed in Chursi area of south Kashmir’s Awantipora after a brief shoot out .

Last year, on November 26, two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Tahab Rajpora area of Pulwama in south Kashmir.