Pulwama: One militant was killed in an encounter with government forces while two of his Hizb-ul-Mujahideen associates including the one who deserted army to join the outfit, managed to escape in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Saturday.
Official sources said that army had laid an ambush after receiving inputs about presence of militants movement in Babgund area. The militants, they said, ran into the ambush and fired at the army. Soon reinforcement of army joined by police and CRPF cordoned off the entire area and launched massive searches.
They said a contact with the militants was established, leading to a fierce gun battle in which one militant identified as Shabir Ahmad Dar alias Shabir Maali was killed while two of his associates—Zahoor Ahmad Thokar, a former army soldier who left the force to join the militant ranks, and other whose identity could not be established, managed to flee from the area.
“The body has been recovered and would be handed over to the family of Shabir, a resident of Samboora Pulwama,” a police officer said.
Meanwhile, authorities snapped 2G internet services even as high speed internet 3G and 4G remained suspended in Kashmir Valley from last couple of days following the killing of PhD scholar turned Hizb commander Manan Wani along with his associate in their home district of Kupwara in North Kashmir.
The authorities, sources said, have also imposed curfew-like restrictions in Pulwama town even as railway has suspended train service from Banihal to Srinagar.
