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Separatist groups have called for a strike in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday in protest against the recent killings of civilians the Valley.
A 23-year-old man was allegedly killed in security forces firing today after a group of youth pelted stones on them while an encounter was on in Chedar Ban area of Qaimoh in Kulgam district of south Kashmir, police said.
The JRL (Joint Resistance Leadership), comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Mohammad Yasin Malik, called for a complete shutdown on Monday, a JRL spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson added that the separatist trio have expressed serious concern over the "re-starting of operation all-out and cordon and search operation (CASO)" in Kashmir, especially in south Kashmir which has resulted in the killing of four innocent civilians."
Security forces have been carrying out operations to sanitize the Jammu-Srinagar national highway ahead of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, beginning June 28, another senior police official said.
Two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, including its self-styled divisional commander Shakoor Ahmed Dar, were killed earlier in the day in an encounter with security forces, while another terrorist surrendered in Kulgam district of south Kashmir.
This is the third major encounter along the national highway. Three terrorists of Jaish were gunned down in Tral on June 20, four of IS-JK, an affiliate of the banned ISIS terror group, including its chief Dawood Sofi, were killed on June 22.
(With PTI inputs)
