5 terrorists killed; 14 shot dead in 4 days

SRINAGAR: Security forces shot dead five terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Hizbul Mujahideen in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Wednesday, officials said, after the third successful operation in the region in four days.

A top district commander of the Hizbul was gunned down in the encounter, according to officials who did not immediately reveal the identities of those killed. Officials added that the operation once again proved that the Pakistan-based LeT and the Hizbul, a local group, were working together in the Valley.

Wednesday’s action was the third such operation in 96 hours in Shopian, considered a hotbed of militancy. While five terrorists were killed on Sunday, four more were shot dead the next day. Altogether, forces have killed 14 terrorists in four days.

Following inputs on the presence of terrorists in Sugoo village, the police, Rashtriya Rifles and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a joint cordon-and-search operation in the area around 2am on Wednesday.

The terrorists fired at the security team, triggering a gunfight that lasted around eight hours, according to the police. After the encounter ended, the police recovered the bodies of the terrorists along with arms from their possession.

“I congratulate our forces for showing the highest order of professionalism, which led to no collateral damage,” Kashmir inspector general Vijay Kumar said. He added that the bodies of the terrorists were sent to Baramulla for last rites. For the past one month, the police are not handing over the bodies of terrorists to their family members, fearing gatherings at funerals in violation of

THE POLICE SAID HE WAS KIDNAPPED BY TERRORISTS AND KILLED AFTER BEING TORTURED. PAUL’S HOUSE WAS DAMAGED IN THE ENCOUNTER IN PINJORA VILLAGE.

guidelines aimed to contain the coronavirus disease. Twenty-two terrorists, including six top commanders, have been killed over the past two weeks in nine operations, Jammu and Kashmir director general of police Dilbag Singh said on Monday. That day, terrorists gunned down a sarpanch in Anantnag district. The police said the Hizbul was behind the killing.

On Wednesday, the police recovered the body of Tariq Ahmed Paul, a resident of Shopian, in the district’s Kongnu area. Paul lived near the area where four terrorists were killed on Monday. The police said he was kidnapped by terrorists and killed after being tortured. Paul’s house was damaged in the encounter in Pinjora village.