Authorities Impose Restrictions, Snap Internet Services
Srinagar: The district administration in Pulwama on Wednesday imposed restrictions after three militants, including a Pakistani national were killed in an overnight encounter with government forces.
Police, army’s 55 RR and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in New Colony in main town Pulwama on Tuesday night on the basis of specific information generated by Srinagar police about the presence of militants in the area, a police spokesperson said Wednesday. During the search operation, he said, the civilians were evacuated to safer places and as the presence of militants got ascertained they were given an opportunity to surrender.
“However they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which retaliated leading to an encounter. Due to darkness the operation was suspended, while the cordon remained intact,” the police spokesperson said.
He said the militants also made a failed attempt to flee from the cordon taking advantage of the darkness.
“In the wee hours, repeated announcements were again made to hiding terrorists to surrender, but the terrorists again fired on a joint search party and the fire was retaliated,” he said.
As per the police spokesperson, three militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were killed in the ensuing encounter and their bodies were retrieved from the gunfight spot. He identified the killed militants as LeT commander Aijaz alias Abu Huraira of Pakistan, Javeed Ahmad Rather of Tahab Pulwama and Shahnawaz Nazir Ganie of Samboora in Awantipora.
As per police records, he said, all the killed militants were part of a group involved in various “terror crimes” regarding which several cases stand registered against them.
“The killed foreign terrorist Aijaz had a history of terror crime cases. He was also instrumental in recruiting innocent youth into terror folds besides, planning and executing several terror attacks in the area including attacks on Police and security establishments,” the police spokesperson said.
“Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including 2 AK rifles and a pistol were recovered from the site of the encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crimes,” he added.
He quoted IGP Kashmir as congratulating police and central forces for conducting a successful operation without any collateral damage.
“In this connection police has 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 of all the explosive materials, if any,” he added.
Meanwhile, the authorities imposed curfew and snapped internet services across the district after the killing of the three militants, reports said. Sporadic protests were also reported from the area.
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