Srinagar, Mar 1: Kashmir Valley witnessed five encounters last motnh in which two soldiers, an SPO, a civilian, as well as seven militants were killed, officials said.
Among the militants slain, six belonged to the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba or its offshoot The Resistance Force, while another was from the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit.
Shopian district in south Kashmir saw three gunfights while Srinagar and Pulwama districts witnessed an encounter each. The remaining seven districts in Kashmir, however, saw no anti-insurgency operations in the past month.
On February 2, Hizbul militant Umar Ishfaq Malik alias Musa, a native of Shopian’s Bongam who had been active since 2020, was killed in an encounter in the district’s Nadigam area.
On February 5, two TRF militants, Ikhlaq Hajam of Kulgam and Adil from Pulwama were slain in an anti-insurgency operation in Srinagar’s Zakoora area.
On February 7, Lashkar militant Irfan Ahmed Sheikh from Pulwama’s Karimabad was killed in a chance encounter at Nambal in the district’s Awantipora region.
On February 19, Lashkar militant Abdul Qayoom Dar from Pulwama’s Larve Kakapora area was gunned down in an anti-insurgency operation in Chermarg village in Shopian’s Zainapora region. Two soldiers Santosh Yadav and Romit Chauhan, both from Army’s 1RR also lost their lives in the gunfight.
On February 25, Lashkar militants Muzamil Ahmad Mir and Shariq Ayoob, both from Shopian, were killed in an encounter in Amshipora. Shakeel Ahmad Khan, the owner of the house where the duo had sought refuge, also died in the gun battle.
Pertinently, January witnessed 12 encounters in which 21 militants, most of them from Jaish-e-Mohammad were shot dead while two cops also lost their lives.
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