Top commander and deputy of Let-linked outfit killed in gunfight
SRINAGAR: A top commander of The Resistance Force (TRF), a shadow outfit of Lashkar-etaiba (LET), and his deputy were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Srinagar on Monday, police said.
The police have identified the terrorists as Abbas Shiekh of Kulgam, one of the longest surviving terrorists and chief of the TRF, and his deputy Saquib Manzoor.
Both the terrorists were responsible for several killings in the Valley and motivating the youth to join terror ranks, a senior police official told news agency PTI.
“He (Sheikh) was a top commander of proscribed terror outfit LET/TRF. It’s a big success,” said Inspector General of Police Kashmir zone Vijay Kumar said.
According to the police, the local police received a tip-off on the presence of Shiekh in Srinagar, following which a search operation was launched. “We had information about their presence in the area. Ten jawans of police dressed in civvies quickly surrounded the area and challenged the terrorists, who opened fire. In the retaliatory firing, the two were killed,” Kumar added.
Police said Sheikh, a resident of Rampora village in Kulgam, was currently associated with both the LET and its offshoot TRF. He earlier worked with the Hizbul Mujahideen and was an A++ terrorist commander, a senior official added.
Manzoor, a post-graduate student when he joined the TRF last year, quickly rose through the ranks as he was believed to have executed some of the killings in and around Srinagar at Sheikh’s behest.
Both Sheikh and Manzoor recently figured in the local police’s list of top 10 terrorists currently operating in Kashmir. “At the behest of Abbas Sheikh, Saqib Manzoor had carried out several killings. They had spread terror in the area,” Kumar said.
“We appeal to the people to prevent their children from joining terrorists. If they have already joined, please bring them back (to the mainstream). We will welcome them,” he added.