Three terrorists and a civilian were killed and three CRPF personnel injured during an encounter on Saturday in the downtown area of Chattabal in Srinagar.

Among the injured CRPF personnel is an assistant sub-inspector, said Ravideep Sahi, Inspector General of CRPF.

Elsewhere in the Kashmir valley, three civilians and a Special Police Officer (SPO) were shot dead by terrorists.

Incidents of terrorism have witnessed spurt in the valley as the civil secretariat is scheduled to reopen in Srinagar on Monday after its closure in Jammu for the summers.

The encounter in the congested area of Chattabal started early in the morning and by over by the noon without any collateral damage. Security forces recovered three AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition from the encounter spot.

Identity of the killed terrorists was yet to be established but police confirmed that they belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

One civilian identified as Adil Ahmad was brought dead to the SMHS hospital in Srinagar who, doctors said, had died due to some road accident. However, locals claimed he had died during clashes when he got crushed by a vehicle belonging to security forces. Police denied their claim.

A large number of stone-pelters gathered at the encounter spot but were chased away by the police.

Police said that on the basis of credible leads, the police and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in Chattabal area in Srinagar. While the searches were intensified, the hiding terrorists fired upon the joint search party.

The fire was retaliated, ensuing an encounter. In the encounter three terrorists were killed whose identifications are being ascertained. Incriminating materials including heavy arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site. On the basis of the materials recovered from the site, it is found that the terrorists belonged to outlawed LeT.

The area was sealed to carry out further searches on cooling of rubbles immediately after the encounter ended to ensure no damage is caused by any explosive material left over at the encounter site.

Gunmen on Saturday morning shot dead Showkat Ahmad Dar, a special police officer (SPO) of Jammu-Kashmir police, in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Reports said that gunmen fired at Dar near Petrol pump at Rahmoo village at around 9.35 am.

Three civilians were killed and a woman critically injured in two separate terror attacks in North Kashmir, police said.

Two persons were abducted and later shot dead by LeT terrorists at Hajin in Bandipura, police said today. Terrorists barged into the house of 45-year-old Ghulam Hassan Dar and abducted him. His nephew Bashir Ahmad Dar (26) was also kidnapped and their bullet ridden bodies were found from nearby place this morning. At about 3.30 am today, the terrorists shot both of them dead, police said.

In another incident, gunmen forced their entry into the house of Mohammad Ashraf Mir at Harwan in Sopore and opened indiscriminate firing, killing him on the spot and critically injuring his wife.