Srinagar/June,17: Police on Saturday claimed to have recovered three bodies of militants killed in an encounter with government forces in Arwani village of Bijbehara in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.
A spokesman said that three Lashkar-e-Toiba militants, including its District Commander Junaid Mattoo, were killed in the firefight on Friday. Mattoo was a resident of Redwani village.
The other two slain militants were identified as Nasir Wani of Heff village of Shopian and Adil Mushtaq Mir of Frestbal Pampore.
“Acting on a specific information, police alongwith 1 RR and 90 Bn CRPF launched an operation in Makro Mohalla of Arwani Bijbehara. During the operation , militants present in the area fired upon the search parties with automatic weapons. The fire was retaliated, and an encounter started,” said the spokesman.
Two civilians were also killed after forces opened fire to disperse protesters trying to disturb the anti-militant operation. However, police said that the civilians died in cross-fire.
“When the encounter was on an unruly mob instigated by the militants started pelting stones with an intention to disturb the operation and give chance to holed up militants to escape. Some of the militants also fired from within the crowd indiscriminately on the security forces engaged in the encounter,” said the spokesman.
“In the cross firing, some people were injured. The injured were shifted to hospital. Two civilians succumbed to their injuries.”
