Kundalan Gunfight over; two militants killed, 20 civilians injured in clashes

Two militants were killed while 20 civilian protesters and two soldiers were injured on Tuesday in a gunfight in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

A police official confirmed that two militants were killed in the gunfight that raged for several hours in Kundalan village of the district. He identified one of the slain as Sameer Ahmad Sheikh of Ayand Rawalpora area of the district.

He said the other one was believed to be a foreigner.

The gunfight that raged for several hours in Kundalan village broke out today morning after forces cordoned off the area.

Earlier, the youth took to streets and hurled rocks at the forces deployed in the village following a gunfight. The forces responded by firing live ammunition, pellets and tear gas to chase away the protesters resulting in injuries to at least twenty youth.

A doctor at district hospital Shopian said four civilians were referred to Srinagar for specialized treatment.

Two soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer, injured in the initial gunfight were shifted to the Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar.

The father of one of the local militants died of cardiac arrest after rumours that his son was trapped in the house surrounded by the forces.