Army soldier turned militant, his associate killed in Shopian gunfight

Shopian : Two militants were killed in a gunfight with government forces at Safanagri area in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday pre-dawn hours.
A Police official said that in Safanagri area of Zainapora in District Shopian, Police and security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the predawn hours Tuesday based on credible inputs about the presence of militants in the area.
As the search operation was going on, hiding militants  fired on the search party. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter.
In the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed and they were identified as Muhammad Idrees Sultan alias Chota Abrar of Safanagri Shopian and Amir Hussain Rather alias Abu Sobaan of Awneera Shopian.
“They were affiliated with militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and were involved in militant attacks on security establishments. Pertinently Idress was a deserter from Army. No collateral damage took place during the operation, the official added. Idrees, who was posted in Bihar and had come home to Shopian on leave in April this year joined the Hizbul Mujahideen. He was the second soldier from the Army to sign up with a militant group in the last nine months. He had studied till BSc second year and was serving in the Army’s 12 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) in Bihar.
Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. Police has registered a case and initiated investigation in the instant matter.
“Citizens are once again requested not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials if any”
Thousands of people participated in the funeral processions of these two slain militants.