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Encounter Between Security Forces And Militants In Baramulla

Security Forces And Militants Engage In Gun Battle In Baramulla
TO GO WITH India-Pakistan-Kashmir-unrest,ANALYSIS by Izhar Wani (FILES) In this picture taken June 08 2002, Indian soldiers stand in a truck as they patrol close to the Line of Control (LOC) which separates Indian and Pakistan administered Kashmir in Kupwara, some 80kms north of Srinagar. There was a time when Indian soldiers guarding the Line of Control that cuts through mountainous Kashmir could barely catch a wink of sleep. At the height of the Muslim insurgency against Indian rule over a part of the picturesque Himalayan region, scores of militants would sneak in from Pakistan, bringing daily gun battles, bombings and suicide strikes. Eighteen years after the revolt broke out, Indian Kashmir is counting its dead -- over 43,000, more than a third of them civilians, but also wondering why the flood of fighters has turned into a trickle, and whether or not a period of relative calm will last. AFP PHOTO/SAJJAD HUSSAIN/FILES (Photo credit should read SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images)
SAJJAD HUSSAIN via Getty Images
TO GO WITH India-Pakistan-Kashmir-unrest,ANALYSIS by Izhar Wani (FILES) In this picture taken June 08 2002, Indian soldiers stand in a truck as they patrol close to the Line of Control (LOC) which separates Indian and Pakistan administered Kashmir in Kupwara, some 80kms north of Srinagar. There was a time when Indian soldiers guarding the Line of Control that cuts through mountainous Kashmir could barely catch a wink of sleep. At the height of the Muslim insurgency against Indian rule over a part of the picturesque Himalayan region, scores of militants would sneak in from Pakistan, bringing daily gun battles, bombings and suicide strikes. Eighteen years after the revolt broke out, Indian Kashmir is counting its dead -- over 43,000, more than a third of them civilians, but also wondering why the flood of fighters has turned into a trickle, and whether or not a period of relative calm will last. AFP PHOTO/SAJJAD HUSSAIN/FILES (Photo credit should read SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images)

SRINAGAR — An encounter broke out between security forces and militants in Baramulla district of north Kashmir today, police said.

On specific information about the presence of militants in Rafiabad area of the district, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation at 7 am, a police official said.

He said as the security forces were conducting search, militants fired upon them, triggering an encounter.

The official said according to intelligence reports, two militants belonging to Lashker-e-Islam (LeI) are believed to be holed up at the encounter site.

One of the holed up militants is believed to be Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, a close aide of Qayoom Najar.

Both Najar and Kandoo are believed to have defied the command of Hizbul Mujahideen supremo Syed Salahuddin and have been operating under the shadow name of LeI outfit.

Both the militants carry a bounty of Rs 10 lakh each on their heads.

They are accused of killing six persons, including separatist activists and former militants in Sopore town.

Meanwhile, an army soldier was injured in the gun battle with the militants.

"An army soldier suffered injuries during the operation and has been hospitalised," the official said.

He said further details of the operation were awaited.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.