Jammu and Kashmir: Pakistani among 3 militants killed in Kashmir

While two local militants were killed in a gunfight in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, a Pakistani militant was killed in a brief shooting in Srinagar, outside Kashmir's famous Hazrtabal shrine.

Police said a Pakistani militant identified as Manzoor alias Haider alias Hamzah of “The Resistance Front” was killed in a brief shootout in Hazratbal area.

The police believes the TRF is a shadow group of Lashkar-e-Toiba.

"The killed terrorist ( Haider), along with two other terrorists who managed to escape from the spot, were on a mission to snatch weapon from the police personnel guarding the Hazratbal Shrine. The timely action of small police party who were tracking them led to the elimination of foreign terrorist," a police statement said.

He said efforts are on to track the other two militants who fled from the spot.

As per police records, Haider was a close associate of slain militant commander Mehran.

On Thursday morning, an encounter broke out at Naina Batpora village in Pulwama after the joint forces of Police, Army and Central Reserve Police Force launched a cordon-and-search operation against the militants.

"During the search operation, the presence of terrorists holed up in a separate structure nearby a local Mosque got ascertained. They were given ample opportunities to surrender and repeated appeals were made to them, instead, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party leading to an encounter," the police added.

"Keeping in view the sanctity of Mosque, the joint team exercised maximum restraint to ensure no damage to it and two Army personnel sustained splinter injuries during the encounter. Both the injured were evacuated to hospital where their condition is stated to be stable."

In the ensuing encounter, two militants affiliated with LeT were killed. They have been identified as Shahid Ahmed Khan of Pulwama and Fayaz Sheikh of Shahpora, Ganderbal. Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said security forces took every precaution to ensure no damage to a mosque.

“Initillay, the two terrorists hid themselves in the mosque. Later, they were holed up in a structure separate from the mosque. We took taken every precaution to ensure that no damage happens to the mosque," Kumar said.

IGP claimed the militants have changed their strategies to take shelter in Mosques and Shrines in order to "hurt the religious sentiments and create law and order problems in the valley."

"However. we will defeat all such nefarious designs,” Kumar said quoting today's example of Pulwama and Srinagar encounters.

Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition were recovered from both the encounter sites. Meanwhile, a bank guard identified as Abdul Hameed Wani was wounded in a militant attack at Maran Chowk in Pulwama.

The militants also snatched his 12 bore rifle.

(With UNI inputs)