3 militants killed in Tral gunfight, injured army man under treatment, news of soldiers death refuted

Tral/ Srinagar: Three militants and a soldier were killed in fierce gunfight near Gulshanpora Tral area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Thursday. This was the first gunfight between Forces and militants of the new year. Meanwhile army in a late night statement on Thursday evening said that the news about the killing of an army man in the encounter is false stating therein that the injured soldier is still under treatement.
A police official said that after receiving inputs about the presence of militants, combined forces including 42 Rashtriya Rifles of Indian Army, CRPF and SOG personnel cordoned off the area.
As the search operation was launched, the hiding militants resorted to indiscriminate firing resulting in the injuries of three soldiers who were quickly evacuated and shifted to hospital.One army man reported to have been killed was identified identified him as Sepoy Nehminlan Haokip of 42 RR but army in a late night statement refuted the media reports regarding the death of a soldier in a gunfight with the government forces in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.A Srinagar-based army spokesman said that the soldier wounded in a gunfight with the forces in Tral is under treatment. News in some sections of the media of a soldier being killed is incorrect,” he said.Three soldiers were injured in a gunfight with the forces in Gulshanpora area of Tral that left three militants dead.
The gunfight between militants and Forces sparked violent clashes in the area. The Forces used live ammunition to disperse the protesters. Reports said that at least 9 protesters were wounded and shifted to hospital for treatment.
A police official said that the gunfight left three militants dead whose identities are being ascertained. Local sources identified the three slain militants as Shakoor Ahmed alias Jafar of Laribal Tral, Tawseef Ahmed Thokar alias Abu Talha and Zubair Ahmed Bhat alias Hamzah, both residents of Charsoo Awantipora.
One among the three slain militants has been identified as a mathematics scholar who had also completed his B.Ed from Veta College in south Kashmir’s Awantipora area of Pulwama district.
According to reports, Tawseef Ahmed Thokar, a scholar turned Militant from Chursoo area of Awantipora in South Kashmir had joined militant outfit Hizb ul Mujahideen on 14 May 2018.