J&K troops kill terrorist duo, find bodies of two slain village guards near stream – Times of India

SRINAGAR/JAMMU

: Security forces on Friday killed two terrorists of an unnamed group in a gunfight at Sopore in J&K’s Baramulla after a cordon-and-search operation overnight based on local inputs led them to a hideout with an arms dump.
The third encounter between armed forces and terrorists in North Kashmir in four days coincided with security personnel of the Jammu division tracing the bodies of two Village Defense Guards (VDGs) kidnapped and killed the previous morning to a remote spot next to a stream in Keshwan in Kishtwar district.
The duo, Nazir Ahmed and Kuldeep Kumar from Ohli Kuntwara, were reported missing since early Thursday. The manhunt for their killers – members of the Kashmir Tigers, a faction linked to the Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed – has a joint police, CRPF and army team deep in the forested hills of Kuntwara, Ohli and Munzla Dhar brought.
The Sopore operation was built around information about armed members of a terrorist group hiding in a house in Sagipora, said SP Divya D. “Security forces have also recovered a large cache of various weapons and ammunition from the encounter site. Details are awaited while the operation is underway.”
In two previous gun battles with troops since Tuesday, one terrorist was killed each in Kupwara and Bandipora districts. Seven terrorists have been shot dead since the beginning of this month.
The killings in Kishtwar sparked street protests amid a general strike demanding continued security operations to “eliminate terrorism”. Hundreds gathered in the Drabshalla area of ​​the district, burning tyres, blocking roads and raising slogans against Pakistan.
While claiming responsibility for the killings, the Kashmir Tigers shared images of the blindfolded victims with their hands tied and their faces bloodied.