3 militants killed in encounter in Kashmir’s Uri

Three militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri area of north Kashmir on Sunday morning, police said.

Primary investigations have revealed that the slain militants were members of the banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), reports Hindustan Times quoting a senior police official.

A major terror attack has been averted with the killing of the three militants, the police official added.

The incident took place in Uri area of Baramulla district on Saturday night when a gunfight ensued after Indian army men spotted a suspicious movement of militants in Kalgai area and laid a cordon. 

Many villagers were trapped in the cordon but were later evacuated safely, a senior police official told Hindustan Times.

The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, two policemen and a CRPF jawan were injured when militants hurled a grenade at their vehicle at Sopore Chowk area in Baramulla district on Sunday morning.

An alert special police officer (SPO) managed to throw away the grenade to a safer place before explosion as it landed inside their vehicle, saving lives of many security personnel and civilians, a police spokesperson said.

In September last year, the border town of Uri made headlines when four militants entered an army camp and killed 19 soldiers before they were gunned down.