Jammu and Kashmir: Two suspected militants killed in gunfights in Bandipora and Anantnag districts

Two suspected militants were killed and a police officer was injured on Monday during gunfights in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora and Anantnag districts, the police said.

The police said that the militant who was shot dead by security forces in Bandipora was identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Dar. He was affiliated to The Resistance Front, an off-shoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

“He was involved in the recent civilian killing at Shahgund [in] Bandipora,” the Kashmir Zone Police said on Twitter.

On October 5, a civilian was killed in Bandipora. The Resistance Front had claimed responsibility for the killing.

Meanwhile, the security forces had launched a search operation at Khagund in Anantnag district after they received information about the presence of militants, PTI reported.

The search operation turned into a gunfight after militants opened fire on the security forces, who retaliated. One militant was killed in the gunfight. He is yet to be identified.

On Saturday, one Lashkar-e-Taiba militant was killed in a gunfight in Srinagar’s Natipora area with the security forces.

Last week, the Centre had said that it was concerned about cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. At a press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also condemned the targeted killings of civilians in the Union territory.

Seven people, including the civilian from Bandipora, have been killed in the Union Territory in nearly a week. Six of these attacks took place in Srinagar.

On Thursday, two teachers were killed by gunmen in Srinagar’s Safa Kadal town earlier.

Two days before that, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit pharmacist in Srinagar and a vendor from Bihar were shot dead by suspected militants in the city.

The Resistance Front had claimed responsibility for the attack on the teachers and the pharmacist.

On October 3, two civilians were shot dead by suspected militants in separate attacks in Srinagar.