Two Lashkar militants killed in Bandipora

BANDIPORA — Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, who had recently infiltrated into Kashmir valley, were killed in an encounter with security forces at upper belt Brar-Aragam village of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Friday, officials said.

They said that the technical evidence proved the presence of two recently infiltrated militants was ascertained in Brar-Aragam area during a joint cordon and search operation by security forces following which the trapped militants fired indiscriminately towards the search party. “In the ensuing exchange of fire, two militants were killed and their bodies were recovered from the site of the encounter.”

The official said that the police have recovered incriminating materials including arms and ammunition also from the site.

Another security official said that the movement of three unidentified militants was tracked in the Bandipora area on May 10, following which an alert was issued.

However, on May 11, a local Lashkar-e-Taiba militant, identified as Gulzar Ganai (20), was killed in a gunfight with security forces at Salinder woods and the other two escaped and were subsequently killed in today’s operation.

A police spokesman in a statement to KNO said that Police and Army (13RR) killed two recently infiltrated foreign militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba in an anti-militancy operation at Brar Aragam area of Bandipora. “The duo had escaped from recent operation at Salinder forest area of Bandipora,” the police spokesman said.

He said that police were tracking a local LeT militant namely Lateef Rather alias Osama who was involved in ‘terror’ incidents in Srinagar and Budgam for the last two months. “A week ago, movement of Lateef Rather was confirmed in Salindar area of Bandipora where he had gone to receive a freshly infiltrated group of militants of LeT outfit.”

“The presence/movement of these militants was zeroed and shared with the Bandipora Police and accordingly, an operation was launched on 11/05/22, resulting in the elimination of a local militant identified as Gulzar Ahmed Ganaie of district Baramulla. While the other two terrorists managed to escape from the said encounter site,” the statement said.

It added, “However, the Police team kept following the footprints of escaped militants, whose presence was confirmed technically in Chadoora area of Budgam, where the terror incident took place yesterday (12/05/22). Thereafter, their footprints were again confirmed in Brar, Aragam area of Bandipora today on 13/5/22.”

“Accordingly, the information was shared with the Bandipora Police and the operation was launched by them along with 13RR, resulting in the elimination of two foreign militants of LeT outfit identified as Faisal alias Sikander alias Mohsin, resident of Pakistan and Ukasha, resident of Pakistan. While the hunt for Lateef Rather alias Osama is on,” the police statement added.

IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar congratulated the joint team of security forces for tracking down the foreign militants who had recently escaped during an encounter and whose presence was technically confirmed yesterday at the ‘terror’ incident site at Chadoora which confirmed their involvement in the killing of Rahul Bhat and said that Lateef Rather alias Osama will be tracked down soon as the hunt for him is vigorously on.