Srinagar: One more Al-Badr militants was killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Pulwama district taking the toll of militants killed to two.
As reported earlier, following inputs regarding presence of militants in Mitrigam village of Pulwama, a search operation was launched by the security forces on Wednesday.
During the search operation, an encounter broke out and in the initial exchange of fire, a soldier received gunshot injuries and was immediately rushed to hospital, he said.
However, the operation was halted to ensure safe evacuation of all the civilians trapped around the encounter site.
“After the evacuation of civilians, the encounter resumed in which two local terrorists identified as Aijaz Hafiz of Dalipora, and Shahid Ayoub of Dheeri Murran, linked with proscribed terror outfit Al-Badr, were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the spot,” A police spokesman said.
The spokesman said that as per the police records, “both the killed terrorists were categorised terrorists and part of groups involved in several terror attacks on police/security forces and civilians. The killed terrorists were also involved in a series of recent terror attacks on migrant labourers in Pulwama.”
Hafiz was involved in firing upon migrant labourers namely Sonu Sharma, a native of Pathankot, at Yadder Pulwama, Mohammad Akram from UP’s Bijnor at Arihal Pulwama and Vishwajeet Kumar of Banka in Bihar at Circular Road Gangoo, Pulwama, the spokesman said.
“He was also involved in firing upon bank guard Abdul Hamid Wani, a resident of Tahab Pulwama, and Sarpanch Ghulam Nabi Kumar of Panchayat Halqa Arihal B at Arihal Pulwama. Besides these terror crimes, Hafiz was instrumental in recruiting Shahid Ayoub into terrorist ranks, who too was neutralised in the encounter,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman said Ayoub was involved in firing upon two migrant labourers namely Patlashwar Kumar and Joko Choudhary — both natives of Bihar — at Lajoora Pulwama.
“Before joining terrorist ranks, he was working as a terrorist associate and was involved in several other terror crimes,” he said.
Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter, police said.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, has termed the operation as a big success and congratulated the joint forces for neutralising the terrorists involved in the recent terror attacks on migrant labourers.
Meanwhile, police on Thursday said that security forces have killed 62 militants, including 15 of foreign origin, belonging to various outfits in encounters in the Kashmir Valley so far this year.
Among those killed, 39 were from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and 15 from Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said.
“Total #terrorists killed in encounters so far this year = 62. #Terror #Outfit wise: LeT = 39, JeM = 15, HM = 06, Al-Badr = 02,” the IGP said in a tweet.
He said among the 62 militants killed in encounters, 47 were local and 15 foreigners.
Kumar said due to enhanced human and technical intelligence and focused operations, the surviving rate of militants is drastically decreasing in the Valley.
“Out of 62 terrorists killed so far in the current year, 32 terrorists got #neutralised within just three months of their joining #terror ranks,” he added.
