Srinagar: A four day old militant and his associate were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Tuesday, police said.
The government forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation at Nathipora in the Bomai area of Sopore after receiving information about the presence of some militants there, a police official said.
As the forces were conducting the searches, the militants fired upon them. The forces retaliated, and in the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed, the official said.
He added that searches were going on in the area.
According to a police spokesperson, the two militants were associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter.
The police spokesperson identified them as a foreign militant Hamas alias Asrar who was active since March 2018 in north Kashmir and a local Wasim Ahmed Lone resident of Hatlangoo Sopore.
“As per police records, both the killed militants were part of groups involved in several crimes including planning and executing attacks on security establishments,” the police spokesperson said.
Hamas, he said, was also the mastermind of an attack in Sopore on March 29 in which two Municipal Councillors and a policeman were killed.
“Arms and ammunition including 01 AK-47 rifle, 01 Insas rifle & other incriminating materials were recovered from the site of encounter. Further search is in progress,” he said.
He said that the last rites of the killed militants shall be performed after conducting medico-legal formalities and the nearest family members of local militants shall be allowed to participate in the last rites.
“In this connection police have registered a case under relevant sections of law and investigation has been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared off of all the explosive materials, if any,” the police spokesperson said.
A local news agency KDC reported that the local militant Waseem Ahmad Lone had joined armed ranks just four days ago.
On Sunday, the family members of a 22-year-old missing youth had urged their son to return home and appealed to the general public and authorities to help them in tracing him, the report added. (With PTI Inputs)
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