Kupwara Encounter In Pictures: Five Jawans Martyred, Five Terrorists Eliminated

Image only for representational purpose

On Tuesday, four militants were killed in the gunfight and another one on Wednesday. In the encounter, two policemen Deepak Thusoo and SPO Mohd Yousuf, two army personnel Sepoy Ashraf Rather of 160 TA and Naik Ranjeet Kholka of 5 Bihar lost their lives.

Giving details of the incident, a police spokesman said that the encounter broke out after a police party intercepted a group of militants.

The gunfight broke out inside Halmatpora forest area of Kupwara, about 110 km from Srinagar city. Media persons had rushed to the spot to report the encounter.

In the exchange of fire between militants and security forces, media persons were seen ducking behind a wall to save themselves.

The nearly 48-hour gunbattle in the dense Kupwara forest in north Kashmir ended on Wednesday night, with five security personnel, including three Army jawans and two policemen, dead and an equal number of militants killed.

The encounter has brought to light gaps in the Army's vigil along the LoC as the group of militants had managed to sneak in nearly 8 kms after crossing two ridges of the Shamsabari mountain range.

Journalists had a tough time as some of them narrowly escaped the bullets fired by the militants.