Srinagar: Two militants of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit were killed in a gunfight with the government forces in Khrew area of Awantipora in south Kashmir on Thursday morning, police said.Meanwhile thousands attended the funeral prayers of the slain militants and Hizb Ul Mujahideen paid tributes to them
A police spokesman said that a cordon and search operation was launched before dawn jointly by the police and forces following “credible” inputs about the presence of militants in Sharshali area of Khrew.
“As the searches were going on, the search party was fired upon by the militants. The fire was retaliated, leading to a gunfight,” he said.
In the ensuing gunfight, he said, two militants were killed.
He identified the slain as Adnan Lone and Adil Bhat. Both the slain, he said, were affiliated with Hizb ul Mujahideen.
“Both the slain militants were close associates of top Hizb commander Riyaz Naikoo,” said the police.
Awantipora and its adjacent areas witnessed a spontaneous shutdown against the killing of these two militant. Multiple rounds of funeral prayers were held for these two militants at their native places.
Witnesses said that three rounds of funeral prayers were held for Adnan Lone and four rounds for Adil Bhat. They said that thousands of people took part in the funeral prayers held at their native villages.
Meanwhile militant outfit Hizbul Mujhadeen Thursday paid rich tribute to two militants killed in Khrew gunbattle. Adnan Lone and Adil Bhat, both residents of Awantipora were killed on Thursday morning.
As per a statement to local news gathering agency CNS, the outfit chief Syed Salahuddin said that from past couple of days at least 26 militants have attained the martyrdom. “Nation is indebted to these budding youth who have laid their precious lives for the bright future of Kashmir,” he said.
Salahuddin said that the names of these martyrs will be written in the golden letters in the annals of history. “We will never forget these youth and won’t allow their sacred blood to go waste,” he added.
Deputy Chief Commander of the outfit, Saifullah Khalid paid tribute to Naveed Jat and Mehrajuddin who were killed in Chattargam encounter.
