SRINAGAR: Three gunmen believed to be the members of proscribed Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) outfit and part of a fresh group of infiltrators were on Thursday gunned down by the security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district.

The officials said that the fighting broke out in Kupwara’s Jumagund area as the J&K police and the Army together had laid an ambush following specific input developed by the Kupwara police regarding an infiltration attempt by militants.

“The ambush was laid in Jumagund village close to the Line of Control (LoC) jointly by the J&K police and the Army. As the infiltrating terrorists were intercepted by the joint party, they were challenged but they responded by opening fire indiscriminately which was retaliated to leading to an encounter,” a police spokesman said here.

The spokesman said that all the three infiltrators were gunned down quickly, adding “Based on the source report and as per the documents recovered from them, the killed terrorists were members of the LeT.” The police said that three AK series rifles with 12 magazines, one pistol with two magazines and three mobile phones were found on the slain men. Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range), Vijay Kumar, said the identities of the slain men are being ascertained.

A report said that a local resident Abdul Latief Mir working with the Army as a porter was injured during the encounter and later died in hospital.

The clash comes a day after three Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants identified by the police as Pakistani nationals Ali Bhai, Hanief Bhai and Shah Wali and J&K policeman Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh were killed in a similar clash in Najibhat village of neighbouring Baramulla district.

The officials claimed that, so far, this year as many as 78 militants have been killed by security forces in fifty encounters across the Kashmir Valley. They said that among the slain were 26 foreigners -14 associated with the JeM and remaining 12 with the LeT. 

end-of