J&K: Three terrorists neutralized in overnight encounter in Handwara
What's the story
Three terrorists have been gunned down in an overnight operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara. All three were "apparently Pakistanis", tweeted DGP SP Vaid. Weapons were recovered from them. Lauding the valor of the men, he wrote, "It has been raining whole night & boys were out there in the cold." However, a civilian woman was also killed in the gunfight.
Details
What happened?
A joint team of the Rashtriya Rifles, police and CRPF launched search operations at Unisoo village around midnight after receiving intel about presence of terrorists. When the hiding terrorists opened fire on the personnel, they retaliated and killed three of them. According to the North Kashmir DIG, the woman was killed "after she tried to escape from the house where the militants were trapped".
Encounters
Top terrorists killed in Kashmir in recent times
In September, Abu Ismail was gunned down in an encounter in Nowgam near Srinagar. Other top terrorists including LeT's Abu Dujana, Bashir Wani and Waseem Shah; Hizbul Mujahideen's Sabzar Bhat and Jaish-e-Mohammed's Abu Khalid have also been eliminated in recent times. According to DGP Vaid, 170 terrorists have been eliminated this year till October, a record of sorts.