Srinagar: The clash in which four jawans were killed, comes soon after the security forces killed a militant in a village in neighbouring Lolab valley and two Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants, including a top commander, in a separate gunbattle in the Tral area of Pulwama district on Sunday.
Both the police and Army termed the killing of Jaish commander Adil Pathan from Pakistan as a major blow to the militants. Reports from Handwara said the Army’s 6 Rashtriya Rifles on Sunday afternoon launched a massive operation in Tilpathri village, 7 km down from the Hafrooda forests of Handwara in Kupwara district after they found five to six heavily-armed militants moving in the area.
Police officials said the Army, after challenging the militants, had opened fire at them. The militants then returned the fire, triggering the encounter, but while the exchange was on they (militants) managed to move to a nearby nallah.
The troops chased them, but after another brief exchange of fire the militants slipped into the Hafrooda woods. Army reinforcements laid siege to the forest area and in the firefight that followed four soldiers laid down their lives, the officials said. Police sources said the militants were roaming freely in the area for the past two days.
