Srinagar: A top Pakistani commander of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit and two other terrorists were killed in two separate encounters in Srinagar and Anantnag districts on Saturday, officials said.
The LeT commander, identified as Usman Lashkari, was active in the valley for several years and was also involved in the killing of Inspector Masroor Wani, Kashmir’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) V K Birdi said.
Wani was shot dead from close range while he was playing cricket in the Eidgah ground here in October last year.
Usman was active in the valley for a very long time and was involved in several attacks, the IGP said, adding that his killing is a “major blow” to the LeT in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Usman was the seniormost Pakistani LeT commander here,” he said.
Four security forces personnel were also injured in the Srinagar encounter.
Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in the densely-populated locality of Khanyar in the interior city following inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area.
The search operation turned into an encounter as the terrorists opened fire at the search party, which was retaliated, a police official said.
“During the operation, fire broke out in the house where the terrorists were holed up” and thick grey smoke was seen billowing into the sky.
Usman was killed in the encounter, the official said.
Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans and two policemen were injured, he said, adding that they were taken to the Army’s 92 Base Hospital and their condition was stated to be stable.
This was the first encounter in Srinagar in more than two years. The last one took place in September 2022 at Nowgam. Two local terrorists of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) were killed in that encounter.
The senior police officer said that Usman was also the right-hand man of Sajad Gul, the TRF commander based in Pakistan.
The Resistance Front (TRF) is believed to be a shadow outfit of the LeT.
The operation concluded in the evening.
IGP Birdi visited the injured police personnel and CRPF jawans at the Army’s 92 Base Hospital and assured them of full support throughout their recovery.
The IGP also acknowledged their vital contributions to maintaining peace and security in the region.
In another anti-terror operation, two terrorists were killed by the security forces in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The encounter broke out near Halkan Gali in the Shangus-Larnoo area.
Addressing a press conference after the operation, Commander, 2 Sector RR of the Army, Brigadier Anirudh Chauhan said the slain terrorists belonged to the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) outfit — an offshoot of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).
“We were receiving inputs about the movements of the PAFF group in Anantnag. This group killed Territorial Army Rifleman Hilal (Ahmad Bhat) on October 8. We received an input about their presence in the Larnoo area and an operation was launched,” Chauhan said.
Bhat was among the two soldiers who were allegedly kidnapped by terrorists during search operations in the forest area of Anantnag. While one jawan escaped, Bhat’s body was found in the Kazwan forest area in Kokernag.
“Two terrorists were killed. A huge cache of arms and ammunition, including M4 and AK rifles, grenades and three IEDs (improvised explosive devices), were seized. Both were dreaded terrorists and were involved in several attacks, including on non-locals,” the Army officer said.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, South Kashmir Range, Javid Ahmad Matoo said according to a preliminary investigation, the two terrorists killed in Anantnag were identified as Zahid Rashid, a resident of Bijbehara, and Arbaz Mir, a resident of Qaimoh who was missing since 2018 and had joined terror ranks.
Apart from the twin gunfights, security forces have also launched a search operation after terrorists’ movements were observed in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, the Army said.
The Srinagar-based Chinar Corps unit of the Army said troops spotted “suspicious movements” in the general area Panar in Bandipora on Friday evening.
“On being challenged, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire and escaped into the jungle,” the Army said. (With additional inputs from PTI)
