Two Army personnel, including a Major, were killed in an encounter between security personnel and militants in Zaipora village in Jammu & Kashmir’s Shopian district. The Army has neither confirmed nor denied the casualties. The confrontation began early Thursday morning. Another security personnel has been injured in the operation. Two to three militants are suspected to be holed up in the village. They have been firing in retaliation to the Army’s artillery. A search is on to nab them.

The Army was acting on a tip off about the presence of militants in the village, after which a search and cordon operation was launched in the night.

The injured have been rushed to the Army’s 92 base hospital in the Kulgam. The Major and the jawan gave in to their injuries at the hospital. The other injured personnel was admitted to the same facility where he is currently undergoing treatment.

Earlier in the day, an encounter in the Valley’s Kulgam district claimed the lives of two militants, one of whom partook in an attack on a bank’s cash van, on May 1 this year. The Army has recovered weapons from the slain militants.

On Tuesday, top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abu Dujana, 26, a Pakistani national suspected to be behind several attacks in South Kashmir, and his local associate, Arif Ahmad Dar, 17, were killed in an encounter at Harkipora village in Pulwama district.

“It is a big achievement for us since this terrorist (Dujana) had been spreading terror for a long time… he was A++ category militant,” said Director General of Police SP Vaid. The encounter began at about 8 am, and was over within 40 minutes after security forces blasted the house.

Dujana, who carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head, is suspected to have sneaked into the Valley some years ago. Dar, his associate, was from the neighbouring Lelhar village and had joined militancy about a year ago. While Dar was buried in Lelhar, Dujana’s body was yet to be handed over.

Dujana was elevated as the top Lashkar commander after the killing of Abu Qasim in 2015. He was also one of the top Lashkar recruiters, especially in South Kashmir. His name figured in a recent list released by the Army of top militant commanders active in South Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs said Wednesday that 109 militants have been killed in the first seven months of 2017. In a statement in Rajya Sabha, MoS (Home) Hansraj Ahir said 184 incidents of violence were reported from Jammu and Kashmir till the end of July 2017.

There were 155 incidents last year during the same period. Violence has risen successively in the past three years with 222 incidents in 2014, 208 in 2015 and 322 in 2016. Killings of civilians, security forces and militants too have increased. The number of militants killed was 150 last year, before reaching 109 until end-July this year. According to the MHA, 15 civilian deaths were reported last year; this year until July 19 civilians have been killed, besides 38 security personnel