Four army men, including a Major, and an equal number of militants were on Tuesday killed while eight other security personnel and a civilian were injured in two separate encounters in Kashmir, officials said.
"We have killed the Hizbul Mujaheedin district commander Sajad Ahmed Bhat alias Tahir Maqsood and three other militants. With their elimination, we have almost wiped out the entire group of Hizbul militants operating in Kulgam," S M Sahai, Kashmir inspector general of police said.
"After a brief exchange of fire with security forces, the militants entered the village mosque," a senior office police official said.
Pakistan has launched new terror outfits staffed by cadres of the dreaded Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed under 'local names' to mislead the world that it has nothing to do with the terrorism prevalent in Jammu and Kashmir, Director General of Police (DGP) of the union territory Dilbag Singh said.
Security forces on Saturday killed three terrorists, including two who had allegedly snatched rifles from policemen in Kulgam district earlier this week, in separate operations in Shopian and Sopore areas of Kashmir valley. Acting on specific information, security forces on Friday night launched a search operation in Lehend-Habdipora area of the Shopian district, 52 kms from Srinagar, officials said.
The formal notification of handing over the case to the NIA is expected to be issued by the ministry soon, an official privy to the development said.
The gun-battle between militants and security forces in Kulgam district of South Kashmir intensified on Saturday morning. The exchange of fire between the two sides began on Friday evening.The firefight broke out in Rampora-Qaimoh village, 80 kms from Srinagar, when the police, assisted by security forces, cordoned the village. They were acting on specific information that three to four militants were hiding in a house in the village.
The annual pilgrimage to the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas will resume on Tuesday, they said.
Curfew was lifted in most parts of Kashmir from Monday and it was completely withdrawn two days ago.
A grenade was lobbed by a youth at an election rally being addressed by a People's Democratic Party candidate in Noorabad Assembly seat of south Kashmir's Kulgam district.
Poonch district of Jammu region recorded the highest turnout at 75.42 per cent. Ganderbal district recorded the highest polling in Kashmir valley at 56.28 per cent.
Police fired warning shots and lobbed teargas shells to disperse stone-pelting protestors during two-hour curfew relaxation in old Anantnag town on Saturday morning even as authorities imposed curfew in two more areas of Trehgam and Kupwara towns after agitation by locals.
Local people, however, rushed to their rescue and informed the police, he said.
Curfew was on Sunday lifted from many parts of Kashmir Valley while authorities announced relaxation of curfew in Srinagar city, where curbs had been re-imposed in the wee hours of Sunday, following incidents of stone pelting. Curfew has been lifted from Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian and Awantipora towns in south Kashmir and Handwara town in north Kashmir, a police spokesman said. While curfew has been lifted from Budgam district in central Kashmir.
Three persons, including two women, were killed in two separate strikes by militants in south Kashmir on Sunday night. A senior police officer said four militants barged into the house of Mohammad Hussain Gorsi in the Nanmarg forest area of Damhal Hanjipora in south Kashmir's Kulgam district and fired indiscriminately, killing his 40-year old wife and 19-year daughter on the spot. Gorsi managed to escape unhurt.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
A huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the possession of the slain ultras, whose identity was being ascertained. However, the documents recovered from them revealed their affiliation with LeT.
After four days of violence and deaths, Kashmir was today relatively incident-free even as more violence-hit areas were brought under curfew in South Kashmir where 3 youths were killed in alleged CRPF firing.
"As the troops moved in, they came under heavy fire from the militants hiding in a house. Reinforcements were immediately rushed to the area and the house was surrounded," a senior police officer said in Srinagar.
The militants had ambushed a BSF convoy at neighbouring Goriwan area at Bijbehara in South Kashmir killing three of its personnel.
Three other terrorists, believed to be severely injured during the gunfight, managed to escape.
An army soldier was also injured in the encounter.
The necessary formalities were being completed in Jammu as well as in the national capital before the probe agency, which has been credited with breaking the nexus between stone-pelters and separatists in Jammu and Kashmir, takes over the case, officials said.
Curfew has been lifted from all parts of Kashmir except Anantnag town
Curfew continued in parts of Srinagar on Saturday in view of the separatists' call for occupying Lal Chowk and Airport Road here while curfew-like restrictions remained in force in rest of Kashmir even as normal life remained paralysed for the 57th day.
Kashmir continues to be paralysed for the third consecutive day in the wake of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter on Friday.
Three of the five civilians held hostage by militants came out safely on Monday evening even as security forces continued the siege around the mosque in south Kashmir's Palnu village, 80 km from Srinagar in Kulgam district.
Known as 'vikas purush' (man involved in developmental work), Sinha is a three-time Lok Sabha MP who held charge of the communication ministry as a minister of State in 2016 when the telecom industry was engaged in the sale of spectrum.
The DGP said Jatt's killing, along with one of his associates, was a big success for the security forces.
Lone and two others were identified by police as the masterminds behind the grenade attack.
During the interrogation, the militants confessed their involvement in the crime, he added.
Squashing erstwhile 'separatists', marginalising the 'mainstream', and squeezing funding channels have all evidently had an impact -- at least for the moment, notes David Devadas after a visit to Srinagar.
Here's a recap of the events from the past 24 hours.
Normal life has been paralysed due to curfew-like restrictions and separatists-sponsored strike since Saturday.
Curfew remained in force for the second day today in major towns of South Kashmir after five persons were killed in firing by security forces in Shopian.
No major clash was reported on Thursday from anywhere in Kashmir.
Normal life continued to remain affected in Kashmir for the 83rd straight day on Thursday due to the separatists' call for shut down.
The bodies of the three militants were recovered from the debris of the house at Arwani in Bijbehara area on Friday morning after security forces blew up the building using explosives, a police official said.
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