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Encounter brings apple town in news again
Policeman, militant killed in Sopore gunfight
Nazir Ganaie
Agence India Press
November 12, 2010
Srinagar: A local militant and a policeman were killed in an encounter with militants in Sopore town of north Kashmiri's Baramulla district on Friday, police said.
Troops of the 52 Rashtriya Rifles, paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police surrounded a house in Chankhan area of Sopore nearly 55kilometers away from here early Friday following information about militants hiding inside, a senior police officer said here.
"A constable of SOG, who had entered the house at 5 a.m. to carry out a surprise assault, was killed," Police officials said adding "The bodies of the militant and the constable have been recovered".
"After having information about the presence of militants in the area, 52 Rashtriya Rifles, SOG and CRPF 176 Battalion this morning laid a siege around Chankhan locality here. The militants opened fire upon the search team which was retaliated and the encounter started," Eyewitnesses told Agence India Press.
The deceased policeman Mohammad Rafiq (Constable) No. 363 of JKAP 7th Bn, had received serious bullet injuries, later succumbed.
The local militant was identified as Manzoor Ahmad Khan of Sangrama area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district.
The police officials were apprehensive about the presence of more than one militant but it was later found that there was only one militant holed up in the house in Sopore, nearly 55 km from here.
The house of Altaf Ahmed Najar in which the militant was hiding was raised to the ground and two other houses were partially damaged, eyewitness said.
"The people of the area were evacuated by the forces and operation was started to gun down the hiding militant," adding "Later the Chankhan area witnessed massive stone pelting between the protests and forces."
Earlier the police sources said that the militant opened fire when he was asked to surrender. (AIP)
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