3 Army jawans, 12 militants killed in Kashmir encounters
BY IANS2 April 2018 12:15 AM IST
IANS2 April 2018 5:41 AM IST
Srinagar: In a major offensive, security forces on Sunday gunned down 12 militants, including those responsible for the brutal killing of Lieutenant Umar Fayaz, in three counter-insurgency operations that also claimed the lives of three Army jawans and four civilians in Anantnag and Shopian districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The operations, which have rendered a severe blow to terror groups in Kashmir Valley, were launched in the two districts Saturday night and continued till late Sunday afternoon.
One militant was killed and another arrested in Dialgam of South Kashmir's Anantnag district, while seven terrorists were gunned down in Draggad. Four in Kachdooru areas of Shopian district. Out of 12 terrorists, 11 have been identified so far, and all of them are locals, officials said.
Earlier police had said that five militants were killed in Kachdooru, but they later revised the figure down to four.
Three Army personnel and three civilians lost their lives in Kachdooru area, whereas another civilian, who was the house owner at Draggad where militants were hiding, was killed along with the terrorists.
Given the law and order situation and a bandh call given by separatists groups, the police have imposed restrictions in seven police stations of Srinagar city and parts of South Kashmir besides putting separatist leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yaseen Malik under house arrest.
Among the killed militants were Ishfaq Thokar, Ehtehmad Hussian and Aquib Iqbal who were responsible for many terror-related activities in Shopian area.
Earlier, at a hurriedly called joint press conference of Army, police and CRPF, Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S P Vaid said this is one of the biggest counter-offensives in recent times against terror groups operating in the Kashmir Valley.
The operations by security forces rendered a severe dent to militant groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashker-e-Taiba, officials said here.
Three Army jawans have lost their lives in the operations at Kachdooru in Shopian, the officials said. They were killed when they had gone near the encounter site while planting an explosive device to blow the house where the militants had holed up.
At the press conference called at Victor Force headquarters at Awantipura, around 33 km from here, Corps Commander of XV Corps, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, termed it one of the biggest operations in recent times and said the death of Lt Umar Fayaz, who was brutally killed in Shopian last year, had been avenged.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who is in the national capital, has expressed grief over the death of civilians during various security operations in Anantnag and Shopian districts.
She has also sympathised with those injured during these operations.
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