Lashkar commander among 2 killed in gunfight
KASHMIR POLICE CHIEF KUMAR SAID ABU AKRAM WAS ONE OF THE TOP LET TERRORISTS ACTIVE IN THE REGION SINCE 2017
SRINAGAR: A top Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT) commander, who deserted the ranks of Jammu and Kashmir Police about four years ago, was among the two terrorists killed in an encounter in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, police said on Monday.
Kashmir police chief (IGP) Vijay Kumar said that Ishfaq Dar alias Abu Akram was one of the top LeT terrorists active in the region since 2017 and was neutralised in the joint operation launched on Sunday by the police, army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
The second killed terrorist was identified as Majid Iqbal. Both were residents of Shopian, Kumar said.
“He (Dar) was very instrumental in planning and executing terror attacks on security establishments, civilian killings and misleading the gullible youth by motivating them to join terrorist folds. He was also involved in killing of four police personnel at minority guard Zainapora in 2018, killing of two non-local drivers in Chittrigam Shopian in 2019. Moreover, on his behest two youth namely Asif Lone, resident of Khudwani, Kulgam and Ab Rashid Thoker, resident of Hussanpora in Arwani, also joined the terror network,” a police spokesman said. IG Kumar said that Dar was a former Jammu and Kashmir cop who deserted the ranks in 2017 after serving for about five years before joining a terror group.
The joint operation was launched at Check Sadiq Khan area of Shopian after the security forces got a tipoff about the presence of terrorists there and turned into an encounter, the spokesperson said. Two AK-47 rifles and eight magazines were recovered from the site of encounter, the spokeperson added.
On Friday, two terrorists believed to be involved in the killings of policemen and civilians in Srinagar were neutralised by security forces at Alamdar Colony in Danmar area of Srinagar. IG Kumar said that 82 terrorists including some top commanders have been killed in Kashmir since January.