Top LeT commander killed in Kulgam gunfight
Srinagar: A top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander was killed in an encounter between security forces and militants at Gurwatan Aharbal belt of Damhal Hanjipora in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Monday, police said.
A senior police official said that a militant identified as LeT commander Amir Ahmad Mir from Chaki Choland Shopain ,who was active since 2017 was killed while the operation is still going on in the area.
He said that a joint team of Police, Army’s 62 RR and CRPF launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) on specific information about the presence of militants in the area.
“As the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, which retaliated, triggering an encounter,” he said.
Notably, 27 militants were killed this month alone in southern districts of Kashmir.
After witnessing a decline during the peak of Covid-19 pandemic, the encounters in south Kashmir, the hot bed of militancy have shown spurt with Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit losing its seven top commanders in just 26 days, officials said.
Meanwhile, security forces in Sumlar-Aragam forests of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district are continuing a massive search operation.
A senior security official said that the operation is being carried out jointly by Army’s 14RR, Para (SF), MARCOS (Marine Commandos) and paramilitary forces in the area.
“There was no fresh contact with the militants. The combing operation is still underway,” he said.
He said that the encounter that started on Saturday morning in the dense woods of Sumlar-Aragam has so far seen the killings of three militants.
The officer said that the search operation would continue till security forces are satisfied that no militant is present in the area.
Officials said that it was an infiltration bid and the militants were hiding in the forest belt after entering this side recently, “we had stepped up vigil and launched searches.”
“During the searches, militants fired upon the search party, which retaliated leading to an encounter,” they said.
Officials said that in the ensuing encounter three militants were killed while arms and ammunition including rifles, magazines, pouches etc and incriminating material was recovered from the site of encounter. (with inputs from KNO)
KV News
