Fierce gun battle in Kashmir to flush out Jaish terrorists

Srinagar: An encounter broke out in the early hours of Thursday between three holed up Jaish-e-Mohammad militants and security forces in Malroo on the outskirts of Srinagar city, officials said.

File photo

Police and troops of the 2 Rashtriya Rifles cordoned off the Malroo locality, 15 kilometres from here, in the morning following a tip-off about the presence of at least three militants in one of the houses in the area, they said. The ultras opened fire on the security forces when they were zeroing in on the target house, which belonged to property dealer Abdul Rashid Bhat.
The troops retaliated following which a gunbattle ensued, they said. As the house is located in a populated area, the security forces announced a halt in hostilities and sent a group of locals to persuade the militants to surrender, they said. However, the ultras refused the offer.
The security forces are evacuating all civilians from the vicinity before they launch an assault to flush out the militants, they said.

The firing between the security forces and militants resumed after the security personnel ensured there were no civilians in the close vicinity of the house, the officials said. A helicopter was seen flying very low over the house after which one of the militants started firing towards it, they said.
A defence spokesman said the movement of the choppers in the area is for routine administrative purposes as the headquarters of anti-militant operation Kilo Force is located in nearby Shariefabad area. "We do not use helicopters during encounter operations," Lt Colonel J S Brar said.
Source: The Indian Express