Srinagar: Police on Wednesday said three “Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists, including a Pakistani national, were killed in an encounter with security forces” in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar congratulated the security forces for the operation.
“Pakistani LeT Commander Aijaz alias Abu Huraira has been killed along with two local terrorists. Congratulations to the police and security forces,” he tweeted.
Giving details of the encounter, police spokesman in a statement said a gunbattle broke out in the south Kashmir district past evening after the security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation “following information about the presence of terrorists in New Colony, Hospital road area.”
During the search operation, “the civilians were evacuated to safer places and as the presence of terrorists got ascertained, they were given an opportunity to surrender, however they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter.”
Due to darkness the operation was suspended, while the cordon remained intact.
“Taking advantage of darkness terrorists tried to escape, however they couldn’t.
“In the wee hours, repeated announcements were again made to hiding terrorists to surrender, but they again fired on joint search party and the fire was retaliated,” the spokesman said, adding that in the ensuing encounter, “three terrorists of proscribed outfit LeT were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter.”
They have been identified as LeT commander Aijaz alias Abu Huraira, resident of Pakistan; Javeed Ahmad Rather, son of Abdul Ganie Rather, resident of Tahab Pulwama, and Shahnawaz Nazir Ganie, son of Nazir Ahmad Ganie, resident of Samboora Awantipora, police said.
As per police records, “all the killed terrorists were part of group involved in various terror crimes regarding which several cases stand registered against them,” police statement said.
“The killed foreign terrorist Aijaz had a history of terror crime cases. He was also instrumental in recruiting innocent youth into terror folds besides, planning and executing several terror attacks in the area including attacks on police and security establishments,” the statement said.
Incriminating materials arms and ammunition including two AK rifles and a pistol were recovered from the site of encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other cases.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of law and investigation has been initiated.
“People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials, if any,” the statement said.
