Apni Party leader shot dead by militants in J&K's Kulgam

Militants on Thursday shot dead another political leader in Jammu and Kashmir. Ghulam Hassan Lone, a leader of the Apni Party, was murdered in the Devsar area of Kulgam.

He was rushed to the hospital for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed grief over the killing of Ghulam Hassan. "Very sorry to hear about the assassination of Ghulam Hassan Lone in Devsar area of South Kashmir. This renewed trend of targeting mainstream politicians by militant outfits is very worrying & I condemn the same in the strongest possible terms. May Allah grant the departed Jannat," he tweeted.

Very sorry to hear about the assassination of Ghulam Hassan Lone in Devsar area of South Kashmir. This renewed trend of targeting mainstream politicians by militant outfits is very worrying & I condemn the same in the strongest possible terms. May Allah grant the departed Jannat.

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 19, 2021

On the other hand, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army was martyred in a fierce encounter with terrorists in Rajouri of Jammu and Kashmir. A terrorist was also killed during the gunfight. A police official said that the security forces launched a search operation after receiving information about the presence of terrorists in Thanamandi area. He said that during the operation, the terrorists fired on the security forces, after which the forces also retaliated and the encounter started.

Lt Col Devendra Anand said, "During the encounter, a JCO of Rashtriya Rifles was hit by bullets. The JCO was immediately rushed to the medical center, but he succumbed to his serious injuries." Officials said that one terrorist was also killed in the encounter. This is the second encounter in the area in August. On August 6, two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Thanamandi area.