Day 3: Handwara gunfight ends; 3 militants, CRPF inspector among 5 security forces killed

The gunfight between militants and security forces which started  between intervening night of February 28 and March 1 at Babagund Handwara in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district ended on Sunday, claiming three militants and five security forces personnel and injuries to ten other uniformed men. One civilian Waseem Ahmad Mir was also killed in alleged government forces action amid clashes near the gunfight site. Reports said that after fire fight stopped late last night, bodies of all the three militants were retrieved early Sunday morning. Meanwhile, one of the injured CRPF personnel— at Babagund Handwara in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district— succumbed to wounds at Army hospital early on Sunday, taking the death toll of security personnel to five. Four of the security forces personnel including an Inspector of 92 battalion CRPF Pintu Kumar were killed and 11 others were injured on Friday. The other slain included CRPF’s Vinod and two policemen— Naseer Ahmad Kholi and Ghulam Mustafa Barah. The encounter broke out after the team of government forces launched a joint cordon-and-search operation. A fierce encounter started and two militants were believed to have been killed. However, when the joint search team went to recover the militant bodies amid a lull, one of the two militants who had played dead rose from rubble of the house, razed during gunfight, fired indiscriminately, leaving to heavy casualties. In all three houses damaged belong to Manzoor Ahmad shah son of Ghulam Hassan, Fayaz Ahmad Peer son of Wali Mohammad and Imtiyaz Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Ahmad Bhat. Two cowsheds and a tin shed were also damaged so far, the officials added. A police officer said that identities and group affiliation of the slain militants was being ascertained.