12 militants gunned down in Kashmir encounters

Kashmiris stand along a barricaded street during unrest following gunfights between suspected militants and police forces in South Kashmir, in Srinagar, on Sunday. Pic/AFP

In a major offensive, security forces on Sunday gunned down 12 militants, including those responsible for the brutal killing of Lieutenant Umar Fayaz, in three counter-insurgency operations that also claimed the lives of three Army jawans and four civilians in Anantnag and Shopian districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

The operations, which have rendered a severe blow to terror groups in Kashmir Valley, were launched in the two districts on Saturday night and continued till late Sunday afternoon. One militant was killed and another arrested in Dialgam of South Kashmir's Anantnag district, while seven terrorists were gunned down in Draggad and four in Kachdooru area of Shopian district. Out of 12 terrorists, 11 have been identified so far and all of them are locals, officials said.

Earlier police had said that five militants were killed in Kachdooru but they later revised the figure. Three Army personnel and three civilians lost their lives in Kachdooru area, whereas another civilian, who was the house owner at Draggad where militants were hiding, was killed along with the terrorists.

Mobile Internet services suspended
Mobile Internet services were suspended in the Kashmir Valley as a precautionary measure following the killing of 12 militants in encounters and four civilians in clashes with security forces, officials said.

Separatists call for two-day strike
Separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership, called for a two-day strike across Kashmir to protest the killings, a spokesman of the JRL said. He said people have been asked to offer funeral prayers.

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