STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Two terrorists of proscribed terror outfits Ansar Ghazwatul Hind and Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Tral area of Pulwama district on Wednesday, police said.
The two terrorists have been identified as Umar Nabi Teli @Talha son of Ghulam Nabi Teli resident of Ladoo Khrew and Shafat Muzaffar Sofi @Muavia son of Muzaffar Ahmad Sofi resident of Batagund Tral, , a police official said,
He said the duo were wanted in several terror cases, including the killing of a Sarpanch in the Khonmoh area of Srinagar earlier this year.
The two terrorists had shifted base to Tral recently, he added.
As per police records, both were categorized terrorists , involved in several terror crime cases including attacks on Police/SF and civilian atrocities.
Encounter breaks out in Shopian
Srinagar: A gunbattle broke out between terrorists and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Wednesday, police said.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Shopian’s Heripora village following information about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.
The search operation turned into an encounter which was going on till reports last came in, the official added. There were no reports of any casualties so far.
Before shifting to Tral area, both the killed terrorists were involved in several terror crimes in Srinagar city. Besides, Shafat Muzaffar Sofi was also involved in grenade throwing on CRPF Camp on March 19, 2022 and a case FIR No. 09/2021 of PS Tral regarding recovery of IED material. Moreover, both the terrorists were attempting to revive the terror folds by being instrumental in motivating gullible youth to join terror folds.
Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation. In this regard, a case under relevant sections of law has been registered and investigation has been initiated, the officials said.
Responding to questions about terrorists resorting to soft target attacks on civilians including “CRPF men in Maisuma’ in which one paramilitary trooper was martyred and another injured, IGP Kashmir said: “We have neutralized 66 terrorists of proscribed terror outfits JeM & LeT this winter season – from December 21 to March 22- which has led to frustration among them, who are now attacking the soft targets.
Regarding the Tral encounter, he said AGuH terrorist Shafat Muzzaffar Sofi alias Muavia and LeT’s Umer Teli alias Talha were both local terrorists and were operating in Srinagar. After civilian and soft target killing, they shifted to Tral area and were tracked and neutralized.
Regarding recent terror attacks in Pulwama, he said poor labourers from outside who had come here to earn their livelihood were attacked.
“We have identified the involved terrorist and very soon he will be neutralized. Similarly, police has got some leads regarding targeting of a Kashmiri Pandit in a remote village of Shopian and the involved terrorist shall also be neutralized soon”, he added.
To a question if Pakistani ultras are “using local” terrorists, the IGP Kashmir said, “You have seen that several foreign terrorists were killed. However the foreign terrorists use local terrorists as a shield, as recently in Shopian where one local terrorist was killed while a Pakistani terrorist escaped from the encounter site and put local terrorist at the forefront”.
The IGP Kashmir also said that in view of soft target attacks by terrorists, the night patrolling has been enhanced and joint patrolling of police and security forces is being carried with security forces in vulnerable areas.