Suhail Khan
Sopore, Nov 08 : Two militants were killed in an encounter that broke out late Thursday night in Sopore, North Kashmir.
An official told Kashmir Despatch that both militants killed in the operation have yet to be identified; however, it is likely that both are foreign militants.
He further stated that a search in the area is still underway.
The gunbattle erupted after joint teams of security forces, including the Army’s 22 RR, SOG Sopore, and CRPF, initiated an anti-terrorist operation in the Panipora area of Zaingeer Sopore on Thursday night.
This incident followed several hours after a significant success for security forces in Bandipora and Lolab, where two militants were killed.
The first week of November has seen the conduct of six anti-militancy operations across the Kashmir Valley, resulting in the deaths of five militants.
Notably, October has proven to be a tragic month in Kashmir’s recent history, recording nine civilian deaths due to terror violence. This includes the killings of seven non-local laborers, an army soldier, and a doctor in multiple attacks.
These attacks occurred shortly after the first assembly elections in over a decade, marking a significant political shift since the revocation of Jammu & Kashmir’s special status under Article 370.