Four militants killed by security forces in Srinagar

Four militants, including a Pakistani national, were killed in two separate encounters in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar and Kulgam districts during the past 24 hours, a senior police official said on Sunday.

Among the slain militants was Shakoor Farooq Langoo who, according to police records, was involved in the killing of two BSF personnel in Soura area on May 20 this year.

An AK rifle snatched from one of the BSF jawans was recovered from the site of the encounter.

Acting on a specific input regarding the presence of militants in Zoonimar area of district Srinagar, a cordon and search operation was launched jointly by police and CRPF, the official said.

"During the search operation, repeated appeals to surrender were made to the hiding terrorists through their families and community members of the area, but they started firing indiscriminately upon the search party, which retaliated leading to an encounter," he said.

The official said in the ensuing gunfight, three militants were killed and their bodies retrieved from the site of the



encounter.

"Two of the slain terrorists have been identified as Shakoor Farooq Langoo from Barthana in Srinagar and Shahid Ahmad Bhat of Semthan in Bijbehara. The identification of the other slain terrorist is yet to be ascertained," he said.

Mobile internet services have been suspended in view of the operation.

The official said the three slain militants were affiliated to proscribed terror outfits Hizbul Mujahideen and Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir.

Security force have eliminated 31 militants in June while 105 ultras have been been killed this year so far.

The official said the Srinagar operation came within 24 hours of the killing of a Jaish-e-Mohammad militant in Kulgam district on Saturday.

"The killed terrorist was identified as Tayab Waleed @ Imran Bhai @ Gazi Baba, a Pakistani national affiliated with proscribed terror outfit JeM," he added.

According to police records, the slain ultra was an "operational commander" of the JeM and an expert in making IEDs besides being a sharpshooter.