Three militants have been killed in a prolonged encounter in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district after security forces locked horns with a group of armed guerrillas in the forested area.
A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) also died in the encounter on Tuesday and the combing operation was in progress till last reports came in from the area.Sources said that troops belonging to three battalions of Rashtriya Rifles and counter-insurgency police personnel cordoned off Wuder Bala forested area in Handwara pocket of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district earlier this week following a specific information about the presence of militants there.
On Tuesday morning, the troops established a contact with the militants when they opened a bout of fire. During the initial exchange of fire, one unidentified militant and a JCO, Naib Subedar Rajesh Kumar were killed.The encounter continued after the initial casualties. On Wednesday, the encounter resumed and two more militants were killed. The bodies of slain militants have been retrieved from the area. Their identity is being ascertained.