Two militants and four policemen were killed in two separate incidents in south Kashmir’s Anantnag and Shopian districts on Wednesday.
Director General of Police S.P. Vaid said the two militants were killed in an operation that was “clean and carried out with precision” in Anantnag’s Muniward area in the morning.
The duo was trapped during a search operation and, in a bid to escape, they opened fire on the search party, triggering an encounter for a couple of hours.
The slain were identified as Altaf Ahmad Dar alias Kachroo alias Moin from Hawoora-Mishipora and Umar Rashid Wani from Khudwani in Kulgam. “Kachroo was currently operating as one of the most important commanders of the Hizbul Mujahideen,” said the police.
According to the police, Kachroo was behind several attacks and killings in south Kashmir, besides snatching rifle from policemen. “Kachroo along with (slain) Yasin Itoo played a major role in instigating people in 2016 (after the killing of militant Buhan Wani,” said the police.
Wani, the second slain militant, had joined the Hizb in 2017. He carried out an attack on the CRPF and also escaped from the Batmaloo encounter site in Srinagar on August 12, said the police. Arms and ammunition was also recovered from the site of encounter, he added.
40 protesters injured
Over 40 protesters, according to local medical facilities, were injured in widespread clashes in the hometown of Kachroo. Security force used pellet shotguns and tear smoke shells to contain the situation. A large group of armed militants also joined the funeral of Kachroo.
Four policemen were killed in a militant attack on Wednesday afternoon in south Kashmir’s Shopian.
A police spokesman said militants “indiscriminately fired” upon a police party at Shopian's Arhama. “Four policemen sustained gunshot wounds and were evacuated to nearby hospital for medical attention. However, all the four injured policemen succumbed to their injuries,” said the spokesman.
The policemen were repairing their vehicle when the attackers opened fire, said locals.
The deceased were identified as Constable Ishfaq Ahmad Mir, Constable Javaid Ahmad Bhat, Constable Mohammad Iqbal Mir and special police officer Adil Manzoor Bhat.
The Hizb and the Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed responsibility for the Shopian attack. “It was a joint attack by the cadres. The militants also managed to take away three rifles of the policemen,” said the spokesman. The outfits also released the pictures of the snatched service rifles online.
Meanwhile, an inquiry was ordered into the incident of a missing rifle in Poonch. An AK-47 rifle, which belonged to a personal security officer of a senior police officer, went missing from the Poonch police lines on Wednesday.