4 Soldiers, 3 militants, Cop, Civilian killed in Pulwama gunfight; Brigadier, DIG, Lt. Col Injured

Srinagar, Feb 18(KMW): At least nine persons including four Army men, three militants, one head constable of J&K Police and a civilian were killed in a day-long encounter that raged between forces and militants in Pinglena village of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
Police said the slain militants were affiliated with Jaish-e-Muhammad, adding that one among the slain militants was local while two others were foreigners.
Earlier, police had said that a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) was launched jointly by Police and forces in the intervening night in the area following the credible inputs about the presence of militants in Pinglena area.
A police statement reads that as the searches were going on, militants from inside the target house fired indiscriminately on the search party. “In the initial burst of fire four Army men and one civilian sustained critical gunshot injuries who were evacuated to hospital for medical attention,” police said, adding that they (four Army men and a civilian) however succumbed to their injuries.
The slain Army men were identified as Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, Hawaldar Sheo Ram, Sepoy Hari Singh and Sepoy Ajay Kumar.
Police however said the fire by the militants was retaliated, leading to an encounter in which three militants were killed. Spokesman said that a cop was also killed in the gunfight who he identified as Head Constable Abdul Rashid Kalas.
Police said Kalas sustained gunshot injuries during the encounter following which he was evacuated to hospital for medical attention where he succumbed to his injuries.
A top army officer of the rank of brigadier also sustained a bullet injury. DIG South Kashmir and a Lt. Col. too were injured in shootout.