Kulgam Encounter: Two terrorists killed by security forces in Kashmir's Gopalpora area, search operation underway

Kulgam Encounter: A militant of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit was killed in an encounter with government forces at Gopalpora area of south Kashmir's Kulgam district in pre-dawn hours on Wednesday morning. In the latest update, another militant has been gunned down by the Indian Army. The search operation is underway as more militants are believed to be trapped in the area. Earlier this morning, the officer said that one militant body has been recovered so far along with a weapon from the site of the encounter and searches are underway to see if there is any more body. The identity of the slain militant is yet to be ascertained, the officer added. Sources, however, identified the slain as Zahid Ahmad Mantoo son of Bashir Ahmad Mantoo of Ferripora Shopian. Zahid was affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen outfit and had joined militant ranks on August 25, last year. Meanwhile, the mobile Internet has been snapped in the southern district as a precautionary measure. Earlier, the encounter broke out after a joint team of army's 34RR and SOG launched a cordon-and-search operation at Gopalpora village. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, militants hurled a grenade on security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir but no one was injured in the attack, police said. The militants lobbed the grenade towards the security forces posted near the State Bank of India branch at Pulwama Chowk, a police official said. He said the grenade exploded by the roadside. There were no reports of anyone getting injured in the explosion, he added. The Kulgam encounter comes just days after four militants, including the one who was part of a group of ultras involved in the killing of Army jawan Aurangzeb last year, were on Saturday gunned down in two separate encounters in Pulwama and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir. While three Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militants were killed in a pre-dawn operation by security forces in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, another militant was killed in Sopore town of Baramulla.