Srinagar: Security forces today gunned down top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sameer Tiger and Aaqib Khan in an encounter in Drabgam here today.
Two army soldiers were also injured in the gunfight that ensued between the security forces and the holed-up militants, police said.
“The injured soldiers, including a major, have been shifted to a hospital,” police sources said around 11.15 am.
The gunfight had erupted after the security forces, including personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police cordoned off the village upon receiving a tip-off about the militants.
“As the cordon was tightened, the militants fired at the security forces triggering the gunfight,” the sources added.
Reports coming in from the area said a stone-pelting mob also clashed with the security forces. A few protesters have been injured. Meanwhile the district administration has suspended the mobile internet services across Pulwama district.