Three militants, six cops and two civilians were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. The bodies of the three militants including Lashkar e Toiba commander Junaid Mattoo were recovered from Arwani in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The police, speaking to a news agency, said three weapons, including an AK 47 rifles and magazines were retrieved from the bodies. One of the militants is yet to be identified. Mattoo, Nisar and the third unnamed militant were killed in the joint operation of Indian Army, CRPF and Special Operations Group (SOP.) The three militants were taking refuge in a house in Arwani.
Amidst the encounter, the locals started protesting and pelting stones on the security forces. This led to the police opening fire on the crowd. This resulted in the death of one civilian and gravely injuring another. The building was also razed by IEDs by the forces. Eight to nine houses were damaged in this operation.
In another part of the State, terrorists ambushed six policemen at the Achabal police station and killed them. This included a Station House Officer(SHO.)
In another incident, militants attacked a vehicle carrying six police officials in Thajiwara Achabla in Anantnag. The officials were the, killed at gunpoint and their bodies were disfigured by the militants. The site of the attack was 16 km from Arwani encounter site.
Lashkar e Toiba claimed responsibility for these attacks. Police said that the second and third attack were so as to avenge the terrorists killed in the first incident.
