Operation is still underway.
Fifteen days ahead of the civic polls, security forces achieved a major success when they killed five heavily armed terrorists in a fierce gunfight at Chowgam in south Kashmir district of Kulgam.
The encounter started on Friday night when security forces received a tip-off about the presence of a group of five terrorists in the area
Police said the area was immediately cordoned off and search operation launched to flush out the militants. However, when a search party was zeroing in on the target, they came under heavy fire from the hiding militants. The fire was retaliated and in the ensuing gunfight, three terrorists were killed initially. Later IGP Kashmir SP Pani said that five terrorists have been neutralised and coming operation is on.
Authorities have suspended train services between Baramulla -Qazigund as a precautionary measure to avoid any law and order problem.
The encounter comes a day after security forces killed five Pakistani terrorists in two different operations in Kakriyal area of Jajjar Kotoli in Jammu and Sopore in North Kashmir. The fresh gunbattlte comes a fortnight ahead of first phase of civic polls in Jammu and Kashmir
Elections to Municipal Bodies will be conducted in four phases with polling dates between October 1 to October 5, 2018. Similarly, elections to Panchayats will be conducted in eight phases with polling dates between November 8 and December 4, 2018. Jammu and Kashmir government has made an elaborate security plan for the forthcoming Urban Local Bodies (ULB) and Panchayat elections in the restive state.
Around 203 companies of the paramilitary forces have arrived in the valley to maintain peace and ensure free and fair elections scheduled to be held from next month.
All the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) companies are being deployed for pre-election duties across the 10 districts of the valley. CRPF forms the largest contingent with 132 companies followed by BSF with 32 companies, ITBP with 25 companies and SSB with 13 companies. All the CAPF companies posted for pre-poll duties were part of the security for the Shri Amarnath Yatra that culminated on August 26.
Meanwhile, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh arrived in Srinagar on Friday on a two-day visit to review the overall security scenario in the Kashmir Valley. During the visit, the Army Commander along with the Chinar Corps Commander, Lt Gen AK Bhatt, held discussions with the DGP Dilbag Singh at Badami Bagh Cantonment on the prevailing security situation in the region.
"He also appreciated the seamless cooperation and synergy being maintained among all the agencies, which he said was the most critical aspect of successful counter infiltration and counterterrorist operations", said Colonel Rajesh Kalia, defence spokesman at Srinagar. Later in the day, the Army Commander called on Governor Shri Satya Pal Malik at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar and discussed the prevailing internal and external security situation of the State.
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