Shopian: Three militants were killed while as an army major, a soldier and two civilians, one of them a woman, were injured amid gunfight in South Kashmir’s Shopian district.
The gunfight started last Tuesday afternoon at Mehloora area in Zainapora village and after night’s pause, resumed at first light on Wednesday. While two militants were killed yesterday, another one was ‘neutralized’ in fresh gunfight. All three militant bodies have been recovered. During the course of the gunfight, an Army major and a soldier besides a policeman and two civilians were injured and have been hospitalized.
A senior police officer said a cordon-and-search operation was launched in the area following specific inputs about the presence of some militants.
He also confirmed the recovery of the three militant bodies. “The operation was suspended throughout the night and resumed at first light,” he said.
In the fresh exchange of the gunfight, the only holed up militant was killed in the morning. Two other had been “neutralized” yesterday and one of the bodies was recovered then, he said.
“Two militant bodies, one from under the debris and another from beneath a varranda, were recovered today,” he said.
The officer said that in the operation one army major, a soldier and a policeman suffered injuries.
Regarding injuries to the civilians near the gunfight site, he said that a woman Shahnaza Bano wife of Farooq Ahmad Koka suffered bullet wounds in her both legs and was shifted to a nearby hospital wherefrom she was referred to SMHS hospital Srinagar for specialized treatment.
Another civilian Asif Ahmad Reshi son of Nissar Reshi of Watchi, according to reports, suffered pellet wounds after police and paramilitary forces chased a group of youth near the encounter site. (with inputs from GNS)
