Militant killed, soldier injured in south Kashmir

Srinagar: Security forces shot dead an unidentified  militant in a gun battle in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday, police said.
They said the gun battle erupted at Mitrigam area of Pulwama during a cordon and a search operation in the area, following an input about the presence of militants.
“As the security forces were laying cordon around the suspected spot, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire, which was retaliated, triggering a gunfight. In the ensuing gunfight, a terrorist was killed,” a police officer said, adding that a soldier was also wounded in the initial gunfight.
Police said after the initial cordon was laid, two to three militants including a foreigner of Jaish-e-Mohammad were trapped in the area.
After the initial gunfight, the operation was halted for evacuation of civilians
“..Trapped terrorists will be neutralised at the earliest,” Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said.
This is the 13th gun battle in Kashmir this month, which has left 21 militants dead. Four security men also lost their lives in the line of duty.