Two JeM militants killed in Baramulla encounter

The encounter took place days ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Jammu and Kashmir.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla Rayees Mohammad Bhat said the gunfight broke out at Yedipora Pattan when the security forces cordoned off the area following an input about militant presence.

“As we approached the suspected spot, the terrorists fired indiscriminately. We retaliated effectively leading to an encounter in which two terrorists were killed,” he told reporters in north Kashmir.

The slain was identified as Yawar Shafi Bhat resident of Kalampora Pulwama and Aamir Hussain Bhat resident of Veshro Shopian.

"As per police records, both the killed terrorists were categorized terrorists and had recently joined terrorist ranks," a police spokesperson said.

SSP Baramulla said arms and ammunition including an AKS-74U locally known as krinkov rifle were recovered from the site.

“The plan of the terrorists was to disturb the Army’s Agniveer recruitment rally at Hyderbeig Pattan," the officer said.

The Friday encounter took place in a village very near the Hyderbeig where the nearly two-week Army recruitment rally for Agniveers concluded on Friday.

“The information we have is that terrorists had reached here to target the Army’s Agniveer rally and they were planning to disturb the youth who are trying to join the mainstream and to make this rally unsuccessful. But we foiled their plans," SSP said.

He said the operation was successful due to alerts already issued by the security forces and the heightened security ahead of the Home Minister’s visit.

Amit Shah would be addressing two mega rallies in the Rajouri and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir next week.

Additional Director General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar said the two slain killed in the Baramulla encounter were affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad.