Srinagar- A commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba was among two killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday, police said.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, V K Birdhi said the ultras — identified as Riyaz Dar and Rayees Dar — were killed in the exchange of firing during a cordon and search operation in Nihama area of the south Kashmir district.
Riyaz Dar was a “commander” of the banned LeT and was wanted in several terror cases. He had been evading security forces for many years.
Security forces had launched the operation after receiving specific inputs about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.
The militants opened fire on members of a search party and the two terrorists were killed in the ensuing encounter, the official said.
“Despite being given the opportunity to surrender, the terrorists declined,” the official said, adding that the exchange of fire lasted for several hours, resulting in the deaths of two terrorists.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, V K Birdi, termed the killings as a significant development towards achieving a terrorism-free Jammu and Kashmir.
An official said that the Kakapora hamlet in Pulwama was once a hotbed of terrorism, particularly associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). “With the elimination of these two active terrorists, the area of Kakapora no longer has any active terrorists,” he said.