Srinagar: Three Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of south Kashmir on Tuesday, police said.
Sharing details of the encounter, a police spokesman in a statement said that acting on specific information regarding the presence of terrorists in Munj Marg area of Shopian, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by the police along with the troops of Army’s 1RR and CRPF 178Bn in the area.
During the search operation, as the joint search party approached towards the suspected spot, “the hiding terrorists fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which was retaliated effectively leading to an encounter, in which three local terrorists were killed,” the spokesman said.
He identified the slain as Mohammad Lateef Lone of Check Kachidoora Shopian; Umer Nazir Bhat, resident of Check Ban Dialgam Anantnag, and Danish Hussain Kakroo of Old Town Baramulla.
As per police records, “all the killed terrorists were categorized terrorists and involved in several terror crime cases including attacks on police/security forces and civilian atrocities,” spokesman said
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar said two of the three slain terrorists have been identified and were involved in civilian killings.
He said one of the slain ultra was Lateef Lone, who was allegedly involved in killing of Kashmiri Pandit Puran Krishan Bhat, while the other terrorist was identified as Umer Nazir, who was involved in killing of Till Bahadur Thapa of Nepal.
“Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one AK-47 rifle, two pistols and two grenades were recovered from the site of the encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation,” the police spokesman said.
He said a case under relevant sections of law has been registered and an investigation has been initiated.
“People are requested to cooperate with police till the area at the encounter site is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials, if any,” the spokesman said.
