Pakistani militant Usman Bhai killed in Khanyar encounter

SRINAGAR — An unidentified militant was killed in a fierce encounter in Thung Mohalla area of Srinagar’s Khanyar on Saturday.

The operation began during the early hours when police and joint forces cordoned off the area following specific inputs about the presence of militants. As the joint team approached the suspected location, the trapped militant opened fire, triggering the encounter.

There was an intense exchange of firing between the trapped militant and the forces, leading to the disruption of traffic and business activities in the area. Additional reinforcements were deployed to assist the joint forces.

Reports said that during the initial exchange of fire, two CRPF personnel and two policemen were injured and were shifted to the 92 Base Army Hospital at Badami Bagh Srinagar. Their condition is stated to be stable.

Meanwhile, police identified the slain militant as Usman Bhai, a resident of Pakistan. According to the police, he was affiliated with the banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and was involved in multiple militancy-related cases including the killing of police officer Masroor Wani.

The last encounter in Srinagar was reported in September 2022 in the Nowgam area of Srinagar in which two militants were killed.