3 soldiers, militant killed in gunfight in Kashmir’s Bandipora

Srinagar, February 14 : Three Armymen and a militant were killed, and at least eight securitymen, including two officers, were injured in an anti-militancy operation in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Tuesday.The fierce gunfight erupted when joint teams of police, Army and CRPF laid a cordon around Parrey Mohalla, Hajin, 30 km from here, in the wee hours, after receiving an input about militants’ presence.“As the cordon was being laid, the hiding militants opened indiscriminate fire in which at least a dozen forces men, including an Army major and a CRPF commandant, were wounded. Three of the injured Armymen later succumbed to their injuries. A militant, suspected to be a Lashkar-e-Toiba commander, was killed in the gunfight,” sources said. The identity of the deceased soldiers could not be established immediately. The injured CRPF officer was identified as Chetan Cheetah and his condition is said to be critical. The other injured are being treated at Army’s Srinagar-based hospital. There was a massive law and order situation during the anti-militancy operation as locals tried to march towards the gunfight site. Police had to fire teargas shells to stop this.