2 militants, cop killed in Kulgam gunfight

Kulgam, Dec 24: Two Lashkar-i-Toiba (LeT) militants including its District Commander allegedly involved in Hotel Silver Star shootout were killed in a gun-battle with forces in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Monday.
A police constable was also killed in the encounter while a soldier was injured.
Police sources said that on a specific tip off a joint team of Army’s 9 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), CRPF 18 Btn and police laid a siege around Danipora village Monday evening where the militants were hiding.
“As the forces launched search operations the militants holed up in one of the houses resorted to indiscriminate firing which was retaliated, triggering a brief encounter. However, the militants managed to break the cordon and give forces a slip,” police official said.
He said the forces, however, chased them and cordoned many adjacent villages. “The forces later spotted the militants in an open paddy field in a neighboring village of Nanibugh and a fierce encounter raged between the two sides,” a police official said.
In the ensuing gun fight, which lasted for about an hour, police said two LeT militants and a constable of Special Operation Group (SOG) of police were killed.
The slain militants were identified as Mudassir Ahmad Sheikh, alias Mavia, of Yamrach village of Kulgam, District Commander for LeT in Kulgam, and Pakistani militant Tamim Ahmad. The SOG constable killed in the encounter was identified as Niyaz Ahmad of Doda. An army personnel also reportedly sustained injuries in the gun-fight.
“Two AK 47 Rifles were recovered from the encounter site,” police said.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, South Kashmir, Vijay Kumar who was supervising the operation, said, “The two LeT militants killed in the encounter were involved in Hotel Silver Star shootout in Srinagar in October this year.”