‘LeT commander Abrar’ among two militants killed in Srinagar: Police

SRINAGAR — Police on Tuesday said that two militants including “top LeT commander Abrar” were killed in a gunfight at Maloora area in the outskirts of Srinagar city.

“01 Pakistani #(militant) & top commander LeT Abrar killed. #Incriminating materials along with arms & ammunition recovered. #Search going on. Further details shall follow,” police said in a tweet.

The tweet comes 13 hours after the police announced that an encounter started at Maloora Parimpora area of Srinagar.

“Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow,” the police had said in the tweet.

Police statement on Parimpora gunfight

“There was a specific input about (militants) carrying an attack on highway. Keeping in view the seriousness of the input, few joint Nakas of JKP & CRPF were in place along the highway. On Parimpora Naka, a vehicle was stopped and their identity was asked. The person sitting at the back seat tried to open his bag and took out a grenade,” police said.

It said, “The Naka party swiftly swung into action and grabbed the person sitting at the back seat. Both the driver and the person sitting at the back seat were taken into police station where after taking off his mask, it was identified that he was terrorist Abrar – a top LeT commander. He was put to joint interrogation by JKP, CRPF and Army.”

One Pistol and hand grenades were recovered from his possession, police said. “On sustained interrogation by the joint teams of JKP, CRPF & Army, he disclosed that he had kept his AK-47 rifle in a house located at Maloora,” police said, adding, “Thereafter, he was taken to that house to recover the weapon after laying proper cordon of the suspected house.”

“When the party was entering the house to recover the alleged weapon, one of his associate, a Pakistani militant (about whom he didn’t disclose anything) hiding inside the house, fired on the party,” as per police statement.

“In the initial firefight, three CRPF personnel got injured and Abrar accompanying the search party got hit,” the police said.

“The injured SF personnel were evacuated and the rest of the party took position and called for reinforcement. The cordon of target house was strengthened by component of JKP, CRPF & Army and the fire was further retaliated,” police said.

In the ensuing gun fire, foreign militant who fired from inside the house “got neutralised and Abrar also got killed.” Two AK-47 rifles along with ammunitions were recovered from the site, police claimed.

It is pertinent to mention that Abrar, as per police records, was involved in several killings of security forces along with other militants.