Two militants killed, another surrenders after gun battle in Kashmir’s Shopian

Two militants were killed while another surrendered following an overnight gun battle in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, police said on Sunday.

Police identified the two slain militants as Altaf Ahmad Rather and Tariq Ahmad Bhat, while the surrendered one is Adil Hussain Dar.

A police spokesperson said that the killed militants were involved in attack on security forces and bank robbery.

Arms and ammunition was recovered from the encounter site, officials said.

The killing took the toll of conflict related deaths in last two days to four.

On Saturday, a policemen and a militant were killed in separate incidents in Kashmir, even as home minister Rajnath Singh started his four-day visit to the state.

Constable Imtiyaz Ahmed Mir was killed, while another policeman was injured as militants opened fire at a police post in south Kashmir’s Anantnag town on Saturday evening, an official said.

Mir is survived by his parents, a sister and two brothers, one of whom is differently-abled, a police spokesperson said.

The attack came just hours after a Hizbul district commander was gunned down in north Kashmir’s Sopore in an encounter with security forces on Saturday morning. The militant was identified as Shahid Ahmad Sheikh.

Sheikh, according to police, was the chief coordinator between Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen in north Kashmir.