Militant, civilian killed during overnight encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama

Srinagar: A militant was killed while another surrendered before security forces during an overnight encounter in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir in which a civilian also lost his life, police said on Friday. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Lalpora area of Pampore in the south Kashmir district on Thursday following information about the presence of militants in the area, a police official said. He said as the search operation was going on, militants fired indiscriminately, resulting in injuries to two persons. The injured persons were rushed to a hospital where one of them succumbed to injuries this morning, he added. The security forces maintained a tight cordon of the area throughout the night and in the exchange of fire on Friday morning, one militant was killed, the official said. He said the identity and group affiliation of the slain militant was being ascertained. Meanwhile, another militant, a local, surrendered before the forces during the operation, the official said. The operation is underway, he added.