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Two Hizbul militants killed in Sopore encounter, four cops injured
The gun fight began after security forces carried out search operations for militants in the area based on a tip-off.
Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants responsible for a grenade attack on policemen in Sopore town in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday evening were killed in an encounter with security forces early on Thursday, police said.
At least four policemen were injured when a suspected militant lobbed a grenade outside a police station in Sopore.
Director general of state police SP Vaid tweeted that the two militants were killed in a joint operation at Sopore.
Vaid told the Hindustan Times the grenade thrower was identified from close circuit television camera footage and the description provided by the policemen who were attacked.
“He was picked up and interrogated and then he led us to the terrorists,” Vaid said.
The Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police were involved in the operation that took place at Natipora area of Sopore.
Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation (CASO) in Natipora at around 3:30am after receiving information about the presence of militants there, a police official said told PTI news agency. During the searches, the two militants opened fire on the forces, triggering the gunbattle, he said.
An army official said two AK assault rifles and other warlike stores were recovered in the sanitisation operation.
The incident comes days Sabzar Ahmed Bhat, who succeeded Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani, was killed by security forces in south Kashmir’s Tral region. The 27-year-old Bhat, believed to be the successor of slain Hizbul commander Burhan Wani, was gunned down at a hideout in Tral.
