Srinagar : One of the militants, holed up in a village in south Kashmir district of Pulwama, was killed as security forces resumed operation with the first light this morning. The slain militant was reportedly a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), official sources said. Meanwhile, all devotees who were present in a mosque when the encounter ensued have been shifted to safer places. They said the encounter ensued in village Naina Batpora in Pulwama last evening when Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF launched a joint operation following a tip off about the presence of militants. When the security forces were moving towards a particular area in the village, the militants hiding there opened indiscriminate fire with automatic weapons. Security forces also retaliated ensuing an encounter. They said reinforcement was rushed to the area and cordon around the village was further tightened to plug all exit points to foil any attempt by militants to escape. However, due to darkness, operation against the militants was stopped. With the first light this morning, security forces resumed the operation against the militants holed up there, they said, adding that there could be two to three militants. When the security forces tried to storm the particular area, the militants again fired this morning. A militant was killed, they said, adding that the slain militant could be Reyaz Ahmad, a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). This was the second encounter in Pulwama in less than three weeks as on December 31, two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants were killed by security forces at village Gursoo. One of the slain militant was identified as Manzoor Ahmad Bhat while another was a foreign national. (Agencies)
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