Three Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants, including a 'commander', linked to the Pulwama terror attack were killed in an encounter with security forces in Pinglan area of Pulwama district in South Kashmir on Monday. An Indian Army Major was among six other persons who died in the shootout.
The killed terrorists were identified as Kamran, a Pakistani national and top commander of the Jaish, and Hilal Ahmad, a local recruited by the terror group, officials said. A third terrorist was reported killed in the evening.
Kamran's role in the February 14 suicide bombing of a CRPF convoy was under the scanner of investigators," a senior police official said.
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"One officer and three jawans were also killed and operation is in progress in the area," he added.
The slain soldiers are Major V S Dhondial, Havaldar Sheo Ram and Sepoys Hari Singh and Ajay Kumar. A head constable was also killed.
The six persons injured include DIG (south Kashmir) Amit Kumar, who received a gunshot wound in the abdomen, and a brigade commander, who was hurt in the leg.
The names of the Army personnel injured were not immediately known.
All the injured are stable, officials said.
The gunfight started late on Sunday after security forces, including the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), surrounded the village following a tip off that Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants -- the same group that carried out the February 14 attack leaving a toll 40 troopers -- were hiding in the area.
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"As the cordon was tightened, the holed-up militants fired triggering the gunfight. Firing exchanges have again started at the encounter site," the police added.
Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district. It was the worst-ever attack in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy erupted in the state in1989.
(With inputs from agencies)
