One soldier injured in gunbattle between army, militants in Kashmir's Rafiabad

Army personnel engaged in a clash with a group of militants in a gunbattle in Rafiabad in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday, reports said. An army soldier was injured in the gun battle, according to a report by PTI.

According to the Indian Express , the clash took place after security forces got an input saying that militants were present in the village of Ladoora in the district, and that they were hiding in houses.

“An army soldier suffered injuries during the operation and has been hospitalised,” a police official said.

The official said that according to intelligence reports, two militants belonging to Lashker-e-Islam (LeI) are believed to be holed up at the encounter site.

A Hindustan Times report that the attack was launched against two militants, one of whom was Imtiaz Kandoo, an aide of Qayoom Najar, who was disbanded from the Hizbul Mujahideen. Both Najar and Kandoo are believed to have defied the command of Hizbul Mujahideen supremo Syed Salahuddin and have been operating under the shadow name of LeI outfit. Both the militants carry a bounty of Rs 10 lakh each on their heads.

They are accused of killing six persons, and carrying out separatist activists and former militants in Sopore town.

CNN-IBN has quoted an army officer as saying that the situation is under control and that the terrorists would be eliminated soon.

This incident comes after Sajjad Ahmed, an alleged  Pakistani terrorist, was captured  on 28 August after a two-day operation in Rafiabad. Four of his associated were killed by security forces during the operation.

With PTI inputs