Six top LeT and Hizbul terrorists neutralised in Anantnag encounter

Representational image

SRINAGAR: Six terrorists, from Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, were killed in an encounter in the wee hours of Friday. Army`s 3 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 116 battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted the operation.

“We got an intelligence input earlier this morning, on the basis of it we launched a joint op with a team consisting of RR, SOG (Special Op Group) and CRPF troops. Six terrorists with links to LeT and Hizbul have been neutralised,” said Mohsin Shehadi, DIG CRPF, South Kashmir.

The terrorists neutralised in the encounter were identified as Azad Ahmad Malik, Unais Shafi, Shahid Bashir, Basit Ishtiyaq, Aqib Najar and Firdous Najar.  

Malik was accused of assassinating senior Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari. 

“It was a combined group of Hizbul Mujahideen and LeT as Unais Shafi and Basit Ishtiyaq as per police records were with Hizbul and Unais was dist commander of Anantnag, while others were with LeT. All six were wanted for their complicity in a series of terror crimes,” said the state police on Anantnag encounter.

Based on a credible input about the presence of terrorists, a cordon and search operation was launched in a forested area of Sekipora. As the operation was underway, the search party was fired upon by terrorists. The fire was retaliated leading to a gunfight.

Incriminating materials, including a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, were recovered from the site of encounter. Five AK and one INSAS rifle have been recovered.

Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation in the matter. 

With agency inputs