Two top Lashkar commanders killed in Anantnag encounter: IGP

SRINAGAR: Top Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders Adil Bhat, who was involved in the August 14 Nowgam attack in which two cops were killed, and his Pakistani aide Abu Rehan were slain in an anti-terror operation in Sirhama area in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Friday morning, IGP (Kashmir Range) Vijay Kumar said. Later in the day, four youth were injured in an explosion at the encounter site after an undetected explosive went off.


Bhat was a resident of Larve in

Kakapora

area of south Kashmir’s

Pulwama district

. Rehan, meanwhile, was known to be active since March 2019, the IGP said while addressing a press conference at the

Police Control Room

, Srinagar. The encounter began late Thursday after security forces, on receiving information about the presence of terrorists, launched a cordon-and-search operation in the area. Holed-up ultras opened fire at the search party, triggering a gunfight.


Several hours later, an explosion took place while a group of people was clearing debris from the house razed to the ground during the anti-terror operation. “Banners were already erected there, warning people against venturing near the spot. While we sanitized the area, some explosives may have gone unnoticed, which these people fiddled with leading to the blast,” a police officer said. The injured Sirhama residents were identified as Muhammad Yasin Rather, Shahid Yousuf, Irfan Ahmed Bhat and Mudasir Ahmed Magray. Yasin and Shahid were shifted to Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital for specialized treatment.

IGP Kumar

said a special investigation team has been set up to probe lawyer-activist Babar Qadri’s killing, a day after two masked barged into his Srinagar residence posing as clients and shot him dead around 6.20pm on Thursday. “They told Qadri they had to discuss an accident case but fired at his head. Qadri sustained four bullet wounds and succumbed on the way to the hospital. We have constituted an SIT headed by Hazratbal SP to probe the murder,” the IGP said, adding that while fleeing, the assailants had also fired some rounds in the air.

Meanwhile, the IGP attributed CRPF ASI NU Badole’s killing on Thursday to Jaish-e-Mohammad as M-4 cartridges were recovered from the spot of the attack in Wadipora, Budgam. “M-4 is usually carried by Jaish terrorists,” he added.

Referring to Khag (Budgam) block development chairman Bhupinder Singh’s murder on Wednesday, IGP Kumar said Singh had toured his area along with his two personal security officers that evening, following which he allowed the PSOs to relax and left for home. “The assailants were probably aware of Singh’s movement and shot him dead outside his house. We have suspended the two PSOs. Prima facie, the names of two Lashkar terrorists — Yousuf Kandroo and Abrar — have come to the fore in this connection. We will arrest them soon,” the IGP said.

There are presently 170-200 active terrorists in Kashmir, 40 of them foreigners whom police know by name, IGP Kumar added.

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