March 29
Government forces on Friday recovered a US-made M4 assault rifle from the two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants, who were killed in an encounter in central Kashmir’s Budgam district of Jammu Kashmir.
A police official said a joint party of police, CRPF and army launched search operation Nowgam area in central Kashmir’s Budgam district last evening after inputs that two Jaish militants were hiding there.
“As the search operation started, militants hiding in the area fired on troops. The fire was returned by troops and in the ensuing gunfight, two Jaish militants were killed,” he said.
Sources said four army men sustained injuries in the gunfight and have been hospitalised.
DIG of police central Kashmir Vidhi Kumar Birdi told this newspaper that US-made M-4 assault rifle and an AK-47 rifle was recovered from the slain militants, whose identity was being ascertained.
M-4 carbine rifle is being used by Pakistan and US special forces. It is the second M4 rifle seized in militancy-hit Kashmir in last six months.
Earlier, on October 31, 2018, security forces had recovered M4 rifle from the encounter site in Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar’s nephew Usman Haider, who headed sniper squad of the outfit, was killed in the Tral gunfight and M4 rifle was recovered from his possession.