J&K: Encounter breaks out in Pulwama

The joint party cordoned off the site where the suspected militants were holed up in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.

Pulwama: An encounter broke out between the militants and the joint party of military and other forces in the Mitragam village in south Kashmir's Pulwama district during the wee hours on Saturday, officials said. According to sources, a joint team of Indian Army, the CRPF and Kashmir Zone police were involved in the operation.

The joint party began its cordon and and search operations in the village of Mitragam after receiving a specific inputs about the presence of some militants in the area. When the joint party comprising the Kashmir zone police, Army and the CRPF approached the suspect's location, the militants holed up in the spot opened fired at the forces starting the gun fight.

Kashmir police said in a tweet that there had been a swing between the militants and the military. "#Encounter has started at Mitrigam area of #Pulwama. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow. @JmuKmrPolice (sic)," it wrote, without sharing any further details.

Earlier, on February 28, days after a Kashmiri Pandit was gunned down by terrorists in Pulwama, security forces killed one of the terrorists involved in the killing during an encounter in the district's Awantipora area in the early hours.

"Encounter has started at Padgampora Awantipora in Pulwama district. Police and security forces are on the job," Kashmir Zone Police said sharing an update about the operation against the terrorists. The J & K police said a terrorist was killed in the encounter and that they were working to retrieve his body.

On Feb. 26, terrorists in another targeted killing, opened fire at a Kashmiri Pandit- Sanjay Sharma - while he was on his way to the local market in the Pulwama district. He was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.