Pampore encounter ends, three terrorists killed

They were holed up in a government building situated along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway

The 48-hour fierce gunbattle on the outskirts of Srinagar ended this evening with the killing of three heavily-armed terrorists holed up in a government building situated along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

"The encounter has ended and three militants who had taken refuge inside the building have been killed," a police official said about the incident in Pampore.

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An Army official, overseeing the operation, also said that three terrorists were killed in the five-storey building of Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) and 'war-like' stores, including arms and ammunition had been recovered.

Security forces personnel near the JKEDI building where militants were holed up during an encounter at Sampora in Pampore

A combing operation was underway to sanitise the building which has 44 rooms plus lobbies, washrooms and a restaurant on the top floor.

The operation, which began on Saturday evening, saw five security force personnel including two Captains of elite commando units laying down their lives while battling the terrorists, suspected to be of foreign origin.

A civilian was killed in the crossfire between the two sides while 120 civilians were evacuated safely.