Representative image for J&K's security forces.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Srinagar: A day ahead of counting of votes for Lok Sabha elections, two militants affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit were killed in an encounter with security forces in Nihama area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday.
“Bodies of 2 terrorists killed in the anti-terrorist operation recovered so far. Identity and affiliation being ascertained. Operation is in progress. Further details shall follow,” Kashmir Zone Police posted on X.
Reports said a joint team comprising personnel from the Jammu and Kashmir police, the Army, and paramilitary forces cordoned off Nihama village after "specific" inputs about the presence of militants in the area were received.
As the joint team zeroed in on its target, the hiding militants opened fire and tried to break the security cordon, officials said, adding that the joint team then fired back, leading to a gunfight.
While the intermittent exchange of fire continued for some time, two houses caught fire as the security forces used heavy weapons to target the militant hideout, they said and added two militants were killed in the gunfight.
A video shared by news agency ANI captured the visuals of smoke emanating from the trapped house.
The slain militants were identified as Riyaz Ahmad Dar and Rayees – both residents of Kakapora village in Pulwama. Dar had reportedly joined the militant ranks in September 2015 and had escaped security cordons several times in the past, while Rayees had joined in 2021.
Earlier on May 7, the security forces killed two terrorists in a gunfight in neighbouring Kulgam district. Basit Dar, who was an active operative of The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-backed terrorist organisation, was among the terrorists killed in the encounter.