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J&K: Four terrorists, two Armymen killed in encounter

Civilian hostage killed, another die in police firing on mob

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Army personnel, accompanied by a sniffer dog, approach the house in the Frisal area of Kulgam district in Jammu and Kashmir, where militants were hiding.
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Strife-torn Kashmir is staring at another round of unrest after four militants and two civilians were killed and 14 others injured in an encounter and ensuing firing on the mob in Frisal village of Kulgam district on Sunday. Two soldiers laid down their lives in the line of duty, while three others sustained injuries in the encounter.

Acting on a specific intelligence about the presence of militants, security forces swooped down on their hideout and engaged them in an encounter. A joint team of Rashtriya Riffles, Jammu and Kashmir police and 18th battalion of CRPF cordoned off the area.

"At 11.30 pm on Saturday we got the information from the police that four militants are hiding there. After we cordoned off four to five houses at around 12, we came to know that a civilian is also inside and delayed the operation by three to four hours," said Brigadier R Chakraborty, Commanding Officer of 1-sector Rashtriya Riffles.

He said the Army called in the Auqaf Committee of Frisal and they made announcements through the loud speakers to release the civilian. "With terrorists not willing to release him, we had no other go but to enter the house. On seeing us, the hostage came running towards us but the militants hiding behind opened fire in which he and two of our soldiers were martyred," he said.

The slain soldiers were identified as Lance Naik Bhandoriya Gopal Singh from Ahmedabad and Sepoy Raghubeer Singh of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand.

Bhandoriya, 33, is survived by wife B Hemavati, while Sepoy Raghubeer Singh, 31, is survived by wife Rekha. Three soldiers who suffered injuries have been shifted to army hospital.

Troops later managed to retrieve the bodies of soldiers and civilians before launching the final assault. "All four militants—two belonging to Lashkar-e-Toiba and two of Hizbul Mujahideen—were gunned down," said Chakraborty.

The slain militants have been identified as Farooq Ahmad Bhat and Mohammad Younis Lone, both Hizbul Mujahideen, and Mudisir Ahmad Tantary alias Assim and Wakeel Ahmad Thoker of LeT. "All were involved in several terror incidents, including killing of police personnel," a police spokesman said.

A section of the locals soon resorted to stone-pelting on the security forces' detachments, damaging several vehicles including Army's Casper. Forces then opened fire, injuring 15 civilians. One of them, identified as Mushtaq Ibrahim, later succumbed to his wounds at the hospital.

Tension gripped the area soon with the people taking to streets and clashing with the security forces.

The civilian's death also gave fresh ammunition to the separatists who have called for a shutdown on Monday and march towards Kulgam on February 15.

Police have started an investigation into the civilian death.

Facing flak over the issue, the ruling People's Democratic Party said the government will look into the matter and find out the circumstances that led to the incident.

"An independent team should carry out a time-bound inquiry," demanded National Conference district president Majeed Bhat Larmi, MLA.

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