Two militants killed, 4 security men injured in Kashmir encounter

Two militants were killed and four security forces personnel including a senior police official injured in an encounter on Saturday in southern Kashmir's Kulgam district.

The encounter took place in Arigam village of Devsar in the district. The Army, Jammu & Kashmir Police and CRPF launched a joint operation following an intelligence input on the presence of militants in the area, police said.

During search operations, militants fired indiscriminately, triggering an encounter, police said. The two militants killed were identified as Aaqib Ahmad Gojri of the Chadoora area of Budgam and Umais Wani of Chawalgam in Kulgam, both associated with the Resistance Front which officials say is an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Toiba. Police said they have sent the DNA samples of the two militants for confirmation of their identity.


"Security forces received information yesterday late at night regarding the movement of terrorists in the Arigam area. When the security forces reached, they were fired upon ... Three security forces personnel and one police personnel have minor injuries. They are stable. The operation is going on and it will take some time to conclude," VK Birdi, inspector general of police in Kashmir, told reporters here.

Police said they have recovered two AK rifles and magazines from the spot.

"Umais has been active since 2020 and involved in several cases, while Aaqib has been active since 2022," said southern Kashmir deputy IG Javed Iqbal. Army officials said this was a major setback for the LeT.

Meanwhile, another exchange of fire was reported from the Billawar area of Kathua.

Police and army officials maintain that "highly trained foreign intruders" remain a challenge even as the number of locals active in militancy is at an all-time low. As per the officials, 70-80 foreign infiltrators are active in Jammu and nearly the same number in the Kashmir Valley. They, according to officials, entered the state through old infiltration routes used in the early 1990s and are operating in small groups.