Three militants killed in encounter near Srinagar

Srinagar: Three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, including one of the youngest ultras in Kashmir, were killed in an 18-hour gunfight with security forces on the outskirts of Srinagar on Sunday.

A soldier and three civilians were also injured during the encounter, a police spokesperson said.

"A search operation was launched Saturday jointly by the police and the security forces, based on a credible input about the presence of militants in the Mujgund area on the Bandipora road," he added. During the operation, the search party was fired upon by the militants who were hiding, the police spokesperson said. The fire was retaliated, leading to a gunfight, he added.

"In the initial exchange of fire, one Army jawan was injured, who is admitted to a hospital. Three civilians also sustained injuries as the area was open and they were shifted to a hospital. They are stated to be stable," the spokesperson said.

Three militants were killed in the counter and their bodies were retrieved from the site, he added. The slain militants were identified as Mudasir Rashid Parray and Saqib Bilal Sheikh -- both residents of the Hajin area in Bandipora district -- and from the evidence collected, one militant was learnt to be a Pakistani, identified as Ali, the spokesperson said.