Three Army Personnel Killed In Encounter In Jammu And Kashmir’s Kulgam
Three Army personnel were killed in an encounter with militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Friday, officials said.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the higher reaches of the Halan forest area of Kulgam district in south Kashmir following inputs about the presence of militants there, a police official said.He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants fired at the security forces, who retaliated.
In the exchange of fire, three security forces personnel were injured, the official said, adding, they succumbed during treatment.”Operation Halan #Kulgam. On specific inputs regarding presence of terrorists on higher reaches of Halan in Kulgam, operations launched by Security Forces on 04 Aug 23. In exchange of firing with terrorists, three personnel sustained injuries and later succumbed. Search operations are continuing,” Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Army said in a tweet.
The official said reinforcement has been rushed to the area and the search operation has been intensified.
Police arrest 3 militant associates in Srinagar
In summer capital Srinagar, police arrested three militant associates allegedly linked to proscribed outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), offshoot of Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) in Natipora area of the city.
A police spokeperson said that acting on a specific intelligence, a small team of Srinagar police at a checkpoint established at Harnabal Natipora arrested the three associates.
They have been identified as Imran Ahmad Najar, a resident of Bulbul Bagh Baramulla, Waseem Ahmad Matta, a resident of Qamarwari, Srinagar, and Wakeel Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Bijbehara.
The spokesperson said that police recovered three hand grenades, 10 pistol rounds, 25 AK-47 rounds and other incriminating materials from their possession.
“Wakeel Ahmad Bhat was earlier an active terrorist linked with proscribed terrorist outfit ISJK & was lodged in jail for two years and was released recently from Central Jail on bail,” the spokesperson said.
“During preliminary investigation, it came to fore that the trio had collected the explosive substances and ammunition from active terrorists of TRF for carrying terrorist activities in Srinagar city, thereby averted a terror threat,” he said.
Subsequently, a case under FIR number 46/23 under sections of 3/4 Explosive Act, 7/25 Arms Act, 18, 23, 39 UAPA Act was registered at Police Station Chanapora and investigation has been set into motion.