Srinagar, Aug 17: Two militants, one of them a top commander of Lashker-e-Toiba, were killed in a gunfight Kreeri Baramulla, hours after three uniformed men—two paramilitary CRPF and an SPO were shot dead in the north Kashmir district—on Monday. Later an army soldier injured along with his colleague in the gunfight, succumbed to the wounds, taking the death count so far in the gunfight to six.

The encounter had ensued after a joint team of Police, CRPF and army launched a cordon-and-search-operation following the attack in the morning in which two CRPF men and an SPO were killed.

“The operation has been suspended for night due to darkness and would resume with the first light of day,” sources said .

“Today at about 0915hrs, (militants) fired indiscriminately upon a joint naka party of Police and security forces from nearby orchards at Nawan mode Kreeri area of Baramulla,” a police spokesperson said.

In the militant incident, he said, two CRPF personnel of 119 BN and a police personnel sustained grievous gunshot injuries. “The injured were evacuated to nearby hospital for the treatment of their injuries.

However, all the three injured personnel succumbed to their injuries”. They were identified as SPO Muzaffar Ali of District Police Baramulla, Constables Lokesh Sharma and Khurshid Khan of 119 batallion CRPF. “In the initial retaliatory firing one militant got injured.”

He said the militants were engaged till the area was completely cordoned off with the help of reinforcement and the search operation was thereafter jointly launched by Police, 29RR and CRPF.

“In the ensuing encounter, so far 02 militants were killed. Two Army personnel also sustained gunshot injuries and were shifted to hospital where one among them is stated to be critical,” the spokesman said. Later sources said one among the soldiers succumbed to wounds.

“The killed militants have been identified as Sajad Ahmad Mir alias Haider alias Jaja of Brath Kalan Sopore (LeT Chief of North Kashmir) and Anayatullah Mir of Andergam Pattan, affiliated with LeT,” the said spokesman added. (GNS)