Srinagar: At least two suspected militants have engaged hundreds of forces in a fierce encounter in Tral area of Pulwama district since Saturday morning.
J&K Police spokesperson told the FreePressKashmir that a house has been damaged during the encounter in Saimoo village.
“The encounter is under way and one to two militants are believed to be engaged in the firefight,” the JKP spokesperson said without sharing any more details.
A JKP cop from Awantipora police zone revealed that there was exchange of fire between the suspected militants and Indian army men last evening.
“An army patrol was fired upon by the militants in Saimoo area when the forces were moving through the village during a routine patrol,” the cop said.
Reinforcement was rushed to the village after the attack and the whole area was cordoned off.
The gunfight resumed this morning.
Saimoo village is covered by forests on one side while as Rathsun and Boos villages border it from two other sides.
A local youth, who recently graduated from University of Kashmir, told the FreePressKashmir that the two villages bordering Saimoo have been completely sealed and nobody was being allowed to move towards the encounter site.
“Huge contingents of forces have been deployed but people are resisting the undeclared curfew and are trying to help militants flee safely,” he said without revealing his real identity.
He said that people from adjoining villages and as far as from Pulwama town have reached the area.
“There is a rumour that Sabzar is one of the militants who have engaged the forces in firefight,” he said.
“People have come crossing a stream from northern side of the village while hundreds are walking through rice fields from western side towards the site.”
Sabzar, a local youth from Tral, is a popular Hizb ul Mujahideen militant commander said to be close to slain Hizb commander Burhan Wani who died in July 2016 triggering massive anti-India uprising in Kashmir.
Gh Muhammad (name changed), a farmer, said that youth have engaged forces as they have started stone pelting battles in Saimoo village.
“The forces have sealed the encounter site but people have put up massive resistance to break it so that militants are saved,” he said.
Locals claim that “there was no attack on army” as reported. “Army was present in Saimoo since mid-day on Friday,” he said, “may be, there was a plan.”
A cop who is overlooking the anti-militant operation said that Tral based 42 RR of Indian army; 180 and 185 battalions of para-military CRPF while as JKP’s local cops including that from Special Operations Group (SOG) are involved in the operation.
Srinagar based defense spokesperson, Col Rajesh Kali, did not respond to calls from this newspaper.
