2 Army personnel, as many policemen killed as Kupwara encounter continues

Srinagar: Four security forces personnel, including two Army jawans, were today killed in an ongoing encounter in the dense forests of the frontier district of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.Four militants were also killed in the encounter between militants and security forces that has been going on since yesterday.

Besides two policemen, as many Territorial Army jawans were killed in the encounter, which started yesterday in the dense forests of Arampora, about 12 kms from the district headquarters of Kupwara, the officials said.The Army is yet to officially announce the death of its soldiers, while the police have identified them as Deepak and Ashraf.

The encounter has highlighted gaps in the Army’s vigil along the Line of Control (LoC) as the group of militants had managed to sneak in nearly 8 kms after crossing two ridges of the Shamsabari mountain range.

The militants had met their “reception party” (overground workers and militants already present in the Valley) after crossing the LoC and were proceeding towards Kupwara town when they were spotted by police personnel, the officials said.

The militants, who were hiding inside a mosque, started running towards the forest, but not before four of them were killed by the security forces yesterday.

The others, believed to be two in number, have covered themselves at a height and were firing on the approaching security forces, they said.