Four militants killed in two encounters
Pulwama co-conspirator, accomplice killed in Bijbehara encounter
Srinagar: Two militants including a self-styled ‘commander’ of Jaish-e-Mohammad, who was a co-conspirator in the February 14 Pulwama attack, were Tuesday killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, police said.
“Fayaz Panzoo was killed along with his associate in an encounter based on a specific police input at Bijbehara in Anantnag district,” a police official said.
He added Panzoo alias Fayaz Ahmad Thokar alias Hanzulla Bai was a “co-conspirator” of the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed by a militant who used a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) to trigger the deadly blast.
Panzoo was also involved in the deadly attack on CRPF personnel at Anantnag town on June 12 in which five CRPF men were killed and SHO Arshad Khan was seriously injured and later succumbed to injuries, the official said.
The official said Panzoo joined the militant ranks in April, 2018 and was active in the Tral-Awantipora-Bijbehara-Ashmuqam areas adding he was a “most wanted” militant as he recruited and motivated youth to join the JeM ranks and executed a number of major attacks in the past.
He used to provide logistics to foreign militants operating in the Kashmir valley and helped to raise local over ground workers, the official said.
The other slain militant has been identified as Shanu Showket of Bijbehara, he added.
The police official termed the killing of Panzoo as a “big achievement”.
Meanwhile, army also claimed to have foiled an infiltration bid in Gurez sector by killing two militants in a fierce encounter.
Two militants were killed in an encounter at Baktur area of Gurez near Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, sources said.
Official sources said that a fierce gunfight broke out between militants and soldiers of 36 RR along the LoC at Nowshera Nar area of Baktur in Gurez sector on Tuesday evening.
An army officer, however, said that the alert troops foiled the infiltration bid in the area.
He said that two infiltrators were killed during the gunfight.
The officer said that the operation is still going on in the area. (with PTI inputs)
KV News
