5 militants, civilian killed in Shopian Village

Srinagar: Five militants were killed in an overnight gunfight with the government forces in Shopian district of south Kashmir. A civilian was killed and two dozen others injured in clashes following the gunfight.
“Five militants have been killed in the operation that began on Friday evening in Kiloora village,” said an army spokesman in Srinagar.
Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S.P. Vaid said four more bodies of militants were recovered from the encounter site Kiloora, Shopian, taking the toll to five.
An official said the gunfight began after a joint party of the army and the state police launched searches in Kilooora following inputs about the presence of militants.
“As the forces approached the suspected house, the hiding militants opened fire, triggering an encounter,” he said, adding that one militant was killed in the initial exchange of fire while the bodies of four others were recovered Saturday morning.
The slain militants were identified as Arshad Ahmad of Ganowpora Balpora, Waqar Ahmad Sheikh of Malikgund, Aijaz Ahmad Paul of Lousdanew, Umar Malik of Malikgund and Arif Ahmad Mir from Yannar village of Pahalgam.
A civilian was killed and two dozen others injured in the forces’ action on protesters near the site of the gunfight and several other places of the district.
In Ganowpora, a civilian was killed and two others injured after army opened fire on protesters who pelted them with stones.
Reports said that youth hurled stones on army men soon after the funeral prayers of slain militant Arshad Ahmad.
The deceased youth, aged around 24, was identified as Bilal Ahmad Khan. At least nine injured civilians have been referred to Srinagar for specialised treatment.
Intense clashes also erupted in Yenned village of Pahalgam in Southern Kashmir’s Anantnag district where thousands of people assembled to participate in the funeral prayers of slain militant Arif Ahmad Mir.
Reports that at least 10 civilian protesters suffered injuries during the clashes, most of them with pellets.
Hospital sources at SDH Sallar, where the injured were shifted that the government forces blocked the movement of ambulances in the area.
They said that two ambulance drivers were also been beaten by the government forces.