2 Army men, militant killed in encounter in J-K's Shopian

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, February 19

Two Army men and a militant were killed in a gunfight in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, officials said on Saturday.

On a specific input about the presence of militants at Chermarg locality in Zainapora area of Shopian, a joint team of Army 1 Rashtriya Rifles, police and paramilitary CRPF launched an anti-militancy operation in the early hours of Saturday.

As the security forces zeroed in on the house, militants fired upon them, triggering a gunfight, a police official said.

In the ensuing gunfight, two Army soldiers received gunshot wounds and were immediately removed to Army’s base hospital in Srinagar, defence spokesperson Colonel Emron Musavi told this correspondent. “Both of them succumbed to their injuries,” Musavi said.

A militant had been killed in the ongoing operation, officials said.

The soldiers have been identified as Santosh Yadav and Chavan Romit Tanaji.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain militant is being ascertained, police said.