Mudasir Maqbool
Shopian: Two militants of Jaish-e-Muhammad outfit were killed in an overnight gunfight with government forces in Drabgam village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, officials said on Friday.
The gunfight started around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, nearly five hours after a joint team of army’s 44 RR, paramilitary CRPF and Special Operation Group (SOG) of police, launched a cordon-and-search-operation at Baba Mohalla of Drabgam village.
The government forces had also installed lights so as to prevent militants from fleeing owing to darkness, officials said.
The officials said the two militants hiding in a house opened fire after the government forces, which was retaliated, leading to a gunfight which continued for several hours.
Two militants were killed in the ensuing gunfight and they have been identified as Shahid Ahmad Baba, a local from Drabgam village and Inayat Ahmad of Arihal Pulwama. Both were affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit, they said.
Earlier, intense clashes erupted after the youth took to streets and pelted the forces with stones to disrupt the operation. The government forces lobbed tear gas shells to disperse them.
As per the routine, authorities suspended the mobile Internet service in Pulwama and Shoian districts even before the gunfight broke out.
