Kulgam, May 22 (KNO) : As the encounters see no letup in South Kashmir, two militants were killed in a gunfight between government forces and militants in Gopal Pora area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. An official told KNO that a joint team of forces including army’s 34 RR, CRPF and SoG cordoned of Gopal Pora area after having credible input about presence of some militants in the area.
“As the joint team of forces intensified searches towards suspected spot the hiding militants fired upon government forces triggering an encounter,” the official said, adding that in the ensuing gunfight, two militants were killed whose bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter and taken for identification.
A police spokesman later identified the two slain militants at Irfan Manzoor Bhat of Poniwah, Kulgam and Zahid Ahmed Mantoo of Ferripora, Shopian. They were affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen. Police said that Irfan had joined Hizb recently and was part of the group involved in the killing of Abdul Majeed Dar of Shalipora, Kulgam. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, internet services have been snapped in Kulgam and parts of Shopian district.
In the meanwhile, police officials told KNO, that the number of militants killed in Kashmir encounters since January this year so far has reached 87, highest ever since 2016 despite the fact that no foreign militant has been killed on the LoC.(KNO)