3 HM militants killed in central Kashmir encounter

Srinagar: Three militants of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) were killed in an encounter with the security forces in the central Kashmir district of Budgam early this morning, official sources said. They said security forces and state police launched a search operation at village Radbugh, Beerwah, in Badgam following presence of militants last night.

However, when the security forces were moving towards a particular area in the village, the militants opened fire, which was retaliated, ensuing an encounter. People in the nearby areas immediately hit the streets trying to disrupt the operation.

However, additional security forces were rushed to seal the outer area of the cordoned off village to disperse demonstrators. The operation was stopped due to darkness though the entire area remained sealed and intermittent firing was going on during the night. With the first light this morning, security forces launched a major offensive and killed all the three militants.

The house, which was used by militants, was blown up by the security forces, the locals alleged. The bodies of the militants have been recovered, they said. They were identified as Dawood, Javid Sheikh and Aquib Gul. Dawood was a listed militant involved in many militant activities. (UNI)