Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Three militants were killed, while an army major and two policemen were also injured in an encounter in Yaripora area of Pattan in north Kashmir's Baramulla district, police officials said on Friday.
According to the police, the bodies of the three militants have been recovered from the gunfight site and the identification process is currently underway.
Earlier in the day, a joint team of Police, Army’s RR 29 and CRPF launched a cordon-and-search-operation in Yaripora. As the joint team encircled the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them. The fire was retaliated by the joint team, triggering off a gunfight.
The gunfight comes amid police and state intelligence warning of a sharp rise in militant-related activities in north Kashmir with infiltrators from across the border attempting to gain a foothold in the region.
"Last month, two deadly militant attacks in central and north Kashmir districts of Srinagar and Baramulla on August 14 and August 17 left five security men dead, giving sufficient indications that the militants are re-strategizing after south Kashmir areas ceased to be safe havens for them," said a senior J&K police officer who asked not to be named.
Read: Militant killed, CRPF jawan injured in encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla
"A string of killings that have taken place in north Kashmir is an extremely disturbing sign. The killed mostly included political workers and civilians suspected to be informers for the security forces and their killings, we fear, serves a dual purpose," he further added.
"Militants are shifting their activities to central and north Kashmir districts with two main objectives. One is their belief that shifting of security forces' focus from south Kashmir areas would ease pressure on their overground workers and sympathisers. Secondly, militants feel that densely populated areas like Srinagar and remote areas of Baramulla and other north Kashmir districts would give them more mobility," the officer said.
"Initially, the militants had some element of surprise while shifting focus to Srinagar and Baramulla districts, but that psychological cover is now blown. Loss of security personnel is unfortunate, but that only strengthens our resolve to wipe them out. There is no record of any militant who killed security personnel and survived for long during the last 30 years of violence," he added.
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Interestingly, Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Kashmir, Vijay Kumar had on June 19, 2020, claimed that the focus of police will be now shifted to north Kashmir by end of the month.
"South Kashmir will be free of militancy by the end of this month (June) as there are still 12 more days left from the current month. And in these 12 days we will clean remaining militants from the South," Kumar had claimed while addressing a joint press conference at the Army's Srinagar based 15 Corps headquarters.
