J&K: Teenager killed, four injured in clashes near encounter site in Shopian

A teenager was killed and at least four people were injured in clashes between protesters and security forces near the scene of a gunbattle at Turkwangam village in south Kashmir's Shopian district on Wednesday, according to reports.

The clashes occurred after the terrorists fired at an Army patrol party following which a gun battle broke out in Shopian. The patrol party was attacked at Tourkewangam in Shopian, said reports. As per reports, 2-3 terrorists were trapped near at Tourkewangam in Shopian where an encounter is underway.

On April 24, two jawans were martyred and three terrorists were gunned down in South Kashmir's Pulwama district.

On April 12, terrorists had lobbed a grenade at a police station in Pulwama in which two policemen were left injured. Following the incident, the security forces cordoned off the area and launched a hunt to nab the attackers.

On April 11, at least five people, including an Army jawan and two teenagers, were killed and more than 100 others were injured during an anti-terror operation at Khudwani village in South Kashmir's Kulgam district and subsequent civilian protests across the valley.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed 166 percent more civilian fatalities due to militancy while there was a 42 percent rise in the number of terrorists neutralised in 2017 compared to the previous year, the Home Ministry said in April.

The annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs for 2017-18, released in April, said that since the advent of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990, a total of 13,976 civilians and 5,123 security personnel have lost their lives till December 31, 2017. In 2017, there were 342 violent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir in which 80 security personnel, 40 civilians and 213 terrorists were killed.