Srinagar: Two militants including a wanted Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander Salim Parray and a foreign militant were killed in two encounters with security forces in the outskirts of the Srinagar city on Monday, police said.
Giving details, a police spokesman said that based on specific input generated by police regarding presence of militant in Harwan/Shalimar area, a search operation was launched by police and CRPF in the said area.
During the search operation, “the search party was fired upon indiscriminately by hiding terrorist, which was effectively retaliated leading to a brief shootout and elimination of a dreaded terrorist Saleem Parray, linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT,” police spokesman said.
He said close on heels of this operation, another operation was carried out by police, CRPF and Army in Gasu area. During the said operation, “one foreign terrorist identified as Hafiz alias Hamza of Pakistan linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT was neutralized.”
As per the police records the killed militant Saleem Parray was a “categorized terrorist”, active since 2016 and was wanted by law in several cases.
“He was involved in several civilian killings including killing of Bashir Ahmad Dar and his brother Ghulam Hassan Dar at Shahgund Hajin on May 05, 2018, killing of Hilal Ahmad Parray at Parray Mohalla Hajin on May 16, 2018. Besides, he was also involved in throat-slitting of many civilians in Hajin area. He was also involved in providing logistic support to the terrorists operating in the area to carry terror attacks,” police spokesman said.
He said Parray had “spread a reign of terror by abducting civilians and killing/torturing them in the name of informers. He was also involved in reviving the terror folds of proscribed terror outfit LeT in Hajin and its adjoining areas.”
Meanwhile, interacting with media-persons, IGP Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said that “Pakistani terrorist Hafiz alias Hamza was involved in several terror crimes including recent killing of two policemen at Gulshan Chowk Bandipora on December 10, 2021 and after this terror crime, he shifted to Harwan area of Srinagar due to frequent cordon and search operations in Bandipora area.”
IGP said he was also involved in killing of a CRPF personnel at Hajin Bandipora, and “killing of a civilian Nadif Hanief Khan of Bilal Colony Soura in Buchpora.”
Moreover, “both the killed terrorists were also involved in attack on search party of police/security forces in Hajin in which one police personnel Ct Zaheer Abbas was killed,” the IGP said.
Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition were recovered from both the encounter sites.
Police have registered cases under relevant sections of law regarding both the encounters and further investigation has been initiated.
IGP Kashmir congratulated police and security forces for “conducting successful operations without any collateral damage.”
“Srinagar police neutralised dreaded terrorist of proscribed terror outfit LeT Salim Parray,” IGP Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar said.
He said details of the operation will be shared later.
Another encounter broke out between the militants and security forces at nearby Gasu village, police officials said.
“An unidentified militant has been killed in the operation which was going on till reports last came in,” the officials said adding the identity and group affiliation of the slain militant was being ascertained.
