The militants killed in the forests of Srigufwara Bijbehara on Wednesday have been identified as locals affiliated with Lashkar-e-Mustafa militant outfit, Police said Thursday.
A Police official said that they had been identified as Junaid Lone and Ishfaq Ahmad of Shopian. He said that the duo was affiliated to Lashkar-e-Mustafa, a shadow outfit of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM).
He said that they were killed in a gunfight in the forests of Srigufwara Bijbehara at Shalgul Sirhama on Wednesday morning.
“The families identified the duo and later they bodies taken to north Kashmir’s Baramulla district for burial,” the Police official said.
Wednesday morning, on a specific input about the presence of militants, columns of Police, Army’s 3 RR and CRPF had launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in the forest area of Shalgul-Sirhama.
A Police official said that when the forces personnel approached towards the suspected spot, the militants had fired at them, which the forces retaliated, triggering an encounter.
The Police official said that the militants had been hiding deep in the forests but were chased and engaged in the gunfight.
He said that their bodies had been later retrieved from the gunfight site and two AK 47 rifles, arms and ammunition recovered.