SRINAGAR: A militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Thursday morning, police said. The gunfight broke out in Aragam Chitti Bandi village in the district after security personnel were tipped off about the presence of militants there.
The encounter is underway, the police added.
An army official said that acting on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of militants in the village, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. As forces were conducting the search operation, the hiding militants fired upon them, triggering an encounter in which, so far, one militant has been killed, the official said.
The encounter comes three days after militants believed to be from Pakistan attacked an army camp in Uri. A week before the attack, a policeman and four intruders were killed in a gunfight in Jammu’s Poonch.
There was increased deployment and stricter restrictions in Srinagar ahead of a march called by the joint separatist leadership. They have called for a march to the “uptown areas” of Srinagar and Anantnag. They also extended the strike to September 29 and Kashmir remained shut for the 76th straight day. (With agency inputs)