3 terrorists killed in encounter: Officials

SRINAGAR: Security forces on Wednesday said three local terrorists were killed in an encounter at Lawaypora on the outskirts of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.

Families of the slain, however, rebutted the forces’ claim and said the youth killed in the encounter were civilians. The families held a protest outside police control room in Srinagar.

The encounter started on Tuesday evening after the J&K police, the army and the CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in the locality close to the national highway after inputs about the presence of militants. Security sources told HT that the army had received the inputs, and subsequently an operation was launched by joint forces in the area.

By late night, sources said the operation was stopped and all the entry and exit points towards the area were completely sealed. The army claimed the militants killed in the encounter were planning a big attack on the national highway.

At a press briefing, General Officer Commanding (GoC) Kilo Force HS Sahi said, “We had been getting inputs about militant movement on the national highway.

The operation was launched last evening after getting inputs that militants were inside a house close to the national highway. They were asked to surrender, however, they responded with firing and the operation was suspended for the night. When the operation was resumed in the morning, they were again given an offer to surrender; however, they again started firing and hurled grenades at the forces, which gave us an indication they had no intention to surrender.”

Families of the three youth killed in the encounter identified them as Zubair Ahmad, Ajaz Maqbool and Athar Mushtaq.

The families said that they were students and alleged that they were picked up and then killed in an encounter.

Former J&K chief minister and Peoples’ Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said that authorities should come clean on this encounter.