Hizb militant killed in Shopian gunfight: Police

New Delhi: A militant of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit was on Friday morning killed in a gunfight in Batpora-Narwani locality of Imam Sahib area in South Kashmir’s Shopian district after government forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area, said police.
Police in a statement issued after the gunfight said “a cordon & search operation was launched jointly by police and security forces in Batpora-Narwani area of Imam Sahib in District Shopian”, adding that
“during the search operation, the hiding militants fired on the search party and fire was retaliated leading to an encounter”.
Saying that “In the ensuing encounter,one militant was killed and the body was retrieved from the site of encounter”,police in its statement further said that the slain militant has been identified as Sameer Ahmad Seh of Sugan Shopian who as per police records was affiliated with Al-Badar outfit and had recently joined Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit . Claiming that the slain militant was wanted by law for his complicity in a series of attacks on security establishments and civilian the police while referring to the official records said ‘Sameer the slain militant had history of involvement in planning & executing attacks in the area’ .
Police in its statement referred to cases registered against the slain militant under FIR No.62/2018 of P/S Zainapora pertaining to killing of a civilian at Zainapora Shopian, FIR No. 65/2018 of P/S Zainapora pertaining to killing of 04 police personnel at Guard Post in Zainapora, FIR No. 52/2018 of P/S Zainapora pertaining to an explosion at Heff Shirmal Shopian, FIR No. 283/2018 of P/S Shopian pertaining to abduction & atrocities on a civilian, FIR No. 08/2019 of P/S Zainapora pertaining to killing of a civilian at Draggad Shopian and FIR No. 12/2019 of P/S Zainapora pertaining to recovery of arms & ammunition from Zainapora Shopian.
Police also claimed the recovery of incriminating material including arms & ammunition from the site of encounter and urged people not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials.