Two militants killed in encounter in north Kashmir's Kupwara: police

A Jammu and Kashmir police spokesman said that the encounter broke out near Pichnad Machil area of Kupwara district.

Kupwara (Jammu and Kashmir): Two militants were killed in a gunfight that broke out between militants and security forces at Pinchad area of the Machil sector in north Kashmir's Kupwara district on Wednesday, police said. In a Twitter post on Wednesday, a police spokesman said that two terrorists had been killed in the encounter while further searches were going on in the area.

The identity of the slain militants was not immediately known. Earlier, a police spokesman said that an encounter had broken out near Pichnad Machil area of Kupwara district. “Army and Kupwara police on job. Further details shall follow," the police spokesman said. Local inputs quoting police sources said that the encounter broke out after a joint team of police and Army launched a search operation in the area.

The search operation was launched following specific inputs about the presence of militants in the area, sources said. As the joint team of security forces approached the suspected spot, the hiding militants opened fire on the search party. The security forces also opened retaliatory fire on the militants thereby triggering an encounter, sources said.

It can be recalled that a militant was killed in an encounter in North Kashmir's Kupwara near the Line Of Control (LOC) in Oct. last year. The gunbattle broke out between security forces and militants at Sudpora in Karnah sector along the LoC on Oct. 22 last year. It is believed that the encounter broke out during an infiltration bid along the LoC.

Earlier, in Sept., two militants were killed during another infiltration bid at Tekrinar Machil along the Line of Control in north Kashmir's Kupwara district.