SRINAGAR:Seven militants have been killed in two separate operations by security forces in South Kashmir.
Four army soldiers have been injured in the encounters, police said, adding that their condition is now stable.
Five militants were killed during an operation in the Shopian district. The operation was launched on Thursday in the area. The killed militants are believed to be members of the Ansar Gazwat-ul Hind (AGH).
Police said during the operation militants took shelter in a mosque.
“We sent people including the Imam of the mosque inside to convince the holed-up terrorists to surrender. But they refused and resorted to firing,” said Vijay Kumar, Inspector General of police.
He said they used tear smoke shells to flush out the terrorists so that mosque was not seriously damaged.
“We were able to save the mosque and also kill five terrorists inside it,” Mr Kumar said.
The officer said that in the encounter, two militantts managed to escape during the initial shoot-out, but they were eventually chased and killed in Pulwama’s Tral area this morning.
On Thursday, a palatial house on the outskirts of Srinagar was damaged after police suspected militants to be inside. But after a 17-hour long operation no one was found.
Among the militants who were killed is Imtiaz Shah, the chief of AGH in Kashmir, a police official said.
After this operation, police said Ansar Gazwat-ul Hind has been wiped out of Kashmir.
7 militants killed in 2 separate encounters
