Four suspected militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces on Monday morning in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district. An Indian Army soldier also sustained injuries, reported the Hindustan Times.
The gunfight began after a team of security forces, including the police, the Army and the Central Reserve Police Force, launched an operation in Manihal village on a tip-off about the presence of militants in the area.
A Jammu and Kashmir police official said that the fight broke out after militants opened fire, reported PTI. The official said the militants were asked to surrender but they refused.
A police spokesperson said four bodies were recovered from the site of the gunfight. One AK-47 rifle and three pistols were also seized from the militants. The spokesperson also said incriminating materials suggested that the four deceased men were affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The militants have not been identified but are suspected to be local residents.
Internet services have been cut off in the area, reported The Hindu.
Last week, three militants were killed in Rawalpora village in the district in an encounter that lasted for three days. One of the deceased militants was identified as Lashkar-e-Taiba member Jehangeer Ahmad Wani. Another, Vilayat Ahmad Lone alias Sajjad Afghani, was found to be a Jaish-e-Mohammad commander.
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