Three slain millitants identified:Killings trigger clashes in Shopian

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday identified the three militants slain in a gunfight with the government forces in the  Kellar area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

A police spokesman identified the slain militants as Sajad Khanday, Aqib Ahmad Dar and Basharat Ahmad Mir – all residents of Pulwama district.

He said the trio were a part of a combined group of Hizb ul Mujahideen (HM) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfits.

The spokesman said all three militants were involved in many militant attacks and several cases were also registered against them.

The trio was killed in a gunfight with the government forces in Yarwan area of Keller in Shopian Thursday morning.

Soon after the news of militant killings reached  ,Clashes erupted on Thursday in south Kashmir’s Shopian district .

Residents, especially youth, took to streets and pelted the forces with stones in Shopian .

An eye witness said the forces responded by firing pellets and tear smoke shells to disperse the protesters.Mobile internet services have been snapped in the district to prevent the spread of rumors, said an official.