DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
Srinagar, Sept 28
Security forces shot dead two terrorists in a gunbattle in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Saturday, police said.
Earlier, four army men and a police officer were injured in the initial exchange of fire.
The gun battle erupted in the wee hours at Adigam Devsar Kulgam when joint forces were carrying out a cordon and a search operation following an input about terrorists presence in the area.
Deputy Inspector General of South Kashmir Javid Ahmad Matoo said a gunfight erupted in the area after joint forces launched a search operation in Kulgam and the hiding terrorists fired at the security forces.
He said while the identification will be done after the DNA testing, but the police had inputs about the presence of two TRF terrorists, Umais ahmad wani who had joined the terrorist ranks in 2020 and Aqib Gojri, who was active since 2022.
“Both of them were wanted in several cases,” he said, adding that they were motivating the youth and the killing is a big success for the security forces,
Official sources said four army men and a Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) were injured in the encounter. The injured were immediately shifted to the medical facility and condition of the all injured is stated to be stable.”
The gun battle broke out a day after Police in south Kashmir’s Awantipora sub district arrested six suspected terrorist associates and recovered Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), arms & ammunition, and other incriminating materials from their possession.
Giving details, Police said they got specific input that a Pakistan based Kashmiri terrorist of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit was in the process of identification of youth who can be motivated to join terrorist ranks and after finding such youth, arms and ammunition, explosives was being delivered to them to commit terror acts before their formal joining into terror ranks .
Upon this information, a case was registered at Police Station Tral.
“During investigation, the youth who were part of this module were identified. It came to fore that Pakistan based terrorist with the assistance of an OGW in jail identified many youth who were motivated by them to join terror ranks in Tral area of Awantipora and Kulgam district,” police said.
“The youth identified were provided pistols, grenades, IEDs and other explosive materials to facilitate their joining into terror ranks. Before inducting them into terror ranks, they were instructed to do some terror activity either by target killing, throwing grenades on SFs /public places , non-local labourers and by laying & detonating IEDs,” a police spokesman said.
Police said during investigations, it also came to fore that Pakistan based terrorist handler had chosen some places for planting of IEDs with the assistance of these youth.
“The terrorist handler has also pumped in some money to carry out the tasks and to procure material for fabrication of more IEDs. So far six terrorist associates have been arrested in the case and upon possession and disclosures by these accused persons, large quantity of arms /ammunition and explosives including five IEDs with remotes, 30 Detonators, 17 Batteries for IEDs, two pistols, three magazines, 25 live rounds of Pistol, four hand grenades and cash amount of Rs 20000 have been recovered,” police said, adding that investigation of case is underway & more arrests and recoveries are likely in the case.
