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| LeT commander, 3 other terrorists killed in Kashmir |
Four terrorists, including a top commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), were killed in two separate encounters in south Kashmir on Saturday, police said.
The police said the two terrorists killed in Kulgam district have been identified as members of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), while one of the two killed in Pulwama has been identified as LeT’s top commander Zahid Nazir Bhat.
“LeT’s top commander Zahid Nazir Bhat (Zahid Tiger) killed in today’s encounter at Pulwama. A big success for Police & other security forces”, the Kashmir police tweeted.
A police spokesperson said that the Kulgam joint operation by the Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Jammu and Kashmir Police was launched on Friday night after a specific input regarding the presence of terrorists in Chinigam area of Pulwama.
“During the search operation, as soon as the presence of terrorists was ascertained, they were given the opportunity to surrender. However, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter,” he said.
The suspected terrorists have been identified as Tariq Ahmad Mir, a resident of Divsar Kulgam, and Sameer Bhai Usman, a Pakistani national. Both are believed to be JeM operatives. “They were involved in many terror crimes and civilian atrocities including the killing of a policeman,” the spokesperson added.
He further said that Inspector general of police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar lauded the role of the forces. “…Security Forces exercised strict restraint. Terrorists fired UBGL & AK during the night. Civilians evacuated at first light. One M4 rifle & one pistol recovered,” Army’s Chinar Corps said in a tweet.