SRINAGAR, NOV 17: In two separate encounters, security forces successfully neutralized six terrorists associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba outfits in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory, police said.
The major anti-terror operations took place in Kulgam district, where five terrorists were killed, and another encounter in Rajouri resulted in the killing of one terrorist.
The operation in Kulgam unfolded during a cordon-and-search operation by a joint team of the army and Jammu and Kashmir police in Samno village.
The terrorists, affiliated with LeT, engaged the security forces in a gunfight. The encounter was temporarily halted due to darkness but resumed at first light the next morning on Friday.
“The terrorists, cornered in a house, eventually emerged after the structure caught fire during the exchange of gunfire,” police said.
IGP Kashmir, Vidhi Kumar Birdi, revealed that intelligence inputs led to the operation, during which five terrorists, possibly from LeT, were killed.
The identities of the terrorists were not immediately known, but all six are believed to be locals affiliated with LeT.
In a separate incident in Rajouri, one terrorist was killed in a joint operation by J&K police, Army, and CRPF in the Behrote area. “The identity of the deceased terrorist was still under verification,” police said.
This incident follows closely on the heels of the thwarting of an infiltration attempt along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, where two unidentified terrorists were eliminated on November 15.
Prior to this, on October 26, security forces neutralized five terrorists along the LoC in the Macchil sector of Kupwara district, and on October 22, in an unsuccessful infiltration bid two infiltrators were neutralized in the Uri sector of Baramulla district.
In June, a total of 11 infiltrators were killed, with four in the Macchil sector and five in the adjacent Jumagund area of the Keran sector.
According to media reports, Infiltration attempts in Jammu and Kashmir have shown an increase in 2023, with 42 terrorists killed this year while attempting to infiltrate.
South Kashmir DIG Rayees Ahmad provided details of the Kulgam operation, stating that the five terrorists, identified as Sameer Ahmed Sheikh, Danish Thokar, Ubaid Patr, Hanzara Shah, and Yasif Bhatt, were associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The operation yielded four AK series rifles, two pistols, four grenades, and other arms and ammunition.
He emphasized the success of the operation as a result of collaborative efforts among security forces in the region, highlighting that the neutralized terrorists had been involved in multiple attacks on minorities.
Kashmir Zone police also posted on X. “Kulgam Update – Day 2: Five #terrorists neutralized by Kulgam Police, Army, and CRPF. #Incriminating materials recovered. #Operation in final stage; area being sanitized (sic),”
It is worth mentioning here that the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory witnessed a concerning surge in infiltration attempts in the last few months, prompting heightened vigilance and robust security measures by government and security forces.
