Top Hizbul Mujahideen operatives Sameer Tiger, Aaqib Khan gunned down by security forces in Kashmir's Pulwama

Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district gunned down top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sameer Tiger in an encounter in Drabgam on Monday. ANI reported that another top militant, Aaqib Khan, was also killed in the encounter that saw Tiger, an ’ A++ category’ terrorist, neutralised. [caption id=“attachment_4425575” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] The encounter saw two soldiers 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. Mobile internet services have been suspended across Pulwama district. With inputs from PTI.