A police constable and two terrorists, one of whom was from Pakistan, were killed while three security personnel, including an Army major, were injured in an encounter between security forces and terrorists that broke out on Saturday (March 4) evening, in the Tral village of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. One of the slain terrorists belonged to terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen while the other was a Pakistani national.
Around two to three top terrorists belonging to the terror outfit were believed to be holed up in a house in the area. The encounter has ended while combing operations are underway. "We have killed two terrorists. One of them is a Pakistani. It was a joint operation by Jammu and Kashmir Police and security forces," SP Vaid, DGP Law and Order, told reporters.
According to Greater Kashmir, clashes broke out around 6:30 pm after the security forces cordoned off Hafoo Nazneenpora village in Tral after receiving information about the presence of suspected terrorists. A police official said that Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir's Special Operations Guard (SOG) cordoned off the Nazneenpora village and began the search operations.
According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), the security forces had brought down almost half of the house but the terrorists kept firing at them. Burhan Wani, the Hizbul Mujahideen commander who was killed in 2016 in an encounter, hailed from this area. The authorities have imposed a curfew after protesters gathered near the site of the encounter.
The terrorists continued to fire at the security forces while the search operation was underway and more troops had to be called in. The protesters also took to the streets and pelted stones at the forces to help the terrorists escape. The forces used tear-gas shells to disperse the crowd, which refused to relent. An unidentified youngster also snatched an AK-47 rifle with ammunition from a CRPF jawan during the clash.
The police constable who lost his life in the encounter has been identified as Mansoor Ahmed. A joint search operation was carried out by the personnel of the Rashtriya Rifles, SOG of Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
Blast in Baramulla:
Three children were injured in a blast near an Indian Army camp in the Pazalpora Hardshiva village of Sopore town of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district on Sunday (March 5).
Local witnesses were quoted by India Today as saying that the blast happened after one of the boys landed on an unexploded shell that was lying in a nallah near the Pazalpora Army camp.
The injured have been identified as Saahil Rashid Lone, Aakash Reyaz Bhat and Shakir Hussain Dar. They were shifted to Sub District Hospital Sopore. Lone was, however, later shifted to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar for advanced treatment.
Investigation is currently underway to find out whether it was a grenade blast.
Operation called off in Shopian:
Meanwhile, forces called off the operation after three to four terrorists, who were holed up in the Chillipora village of Shopian district, fled and "could not be traced despite warning shots fired by the personnel." The forces cordoned off the village on Friday (March 3) evening and put up floodlights and kept vigil following an initial exchange of fire. But there was no report of firing.
