4 terrorists killed in encounter in Shopian

Srinagar: Four Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, while three army personnel lost their lives as their vehicle met with an accident on way to the site of the gunfight, officials said.

On receiving information about the presence of terrorists at Badigam in the Zainapora area of Shopian, security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation, a police official said. During the search operation, the terrorists fired upon the forces which led to an encounter, he said.

In the exchange of fire, four militants were killed, the official said. The official identified the slain terrorists as Aaqib Farooq Thoker and Waseem Ahmed Thoker -- both residents of Heffkhuri in Zainapora -- and Farooq Ahmad Bhat and Shoqeen Ahmad Mir of Sugan.

Meanwhile, three army personnel were killed and five others injured when their vehicle met with an accident while on way to the encounter site, Srinagar-based Defence PRO Col Emron Musavi said. "Owing to the wet road conditions, the driver seemingly lost control over the vehicle and it skidded off the road. The injured soldiers were shifted to District Hospital Shopian and three soldiers were declared dead," Col Musavi said.