2 cops killed after 4 militants shot dead in encounter in J&K's Kupwara

Srinagar: Two Jammu and Kashmir policemen were killed in an ongoing encounter in Kupwara's Halmatpora on Wednesday a day after four militants were killed in a gun battle with security forces in the same area on Tuesday, the Army and J&K police said.

According to Defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia, the fighting broke out in Halmatpora Chak forest area at around 3 pm on Tuesday.

“The encounter is underway. So far, four terrorists have been eliminated. Their identities are being ascertained,” he had said.

The police officials said that a joint operation was launched against the militants after they opened fire at a joint party of Army’s 41 Rashtriya Rifles and J&K police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG).

"The security forces retaliated to the militant attack and with the arrival of reinforcements an operation to flush out the militants dead or alive was launched," said a police officer.