Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Apr 13: A top Jaish-e-Muhammad commander and his associate were killed in a brief shootout at Gahind area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district this morning.
Acting on tip off, a joint team of Army’s 34 RR and SOG launched a cordon and search operation in an orchard at Gahind area of Shopian.
The cordon was launched following credible input about the presence of some militants in the area. As soon as the troops arrived in the area, the militants opened indiscriminate firing on them. The troops retaliated, leading to a brief shootout.
During the shootout, two militants were killed.
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The killed militants have been identified as Abid Wagay, resident of Rawalpora, Shopian and Shahjahan Mir, resident of Amshepora, Shopian.
According to the police records, both the killed militants were affiliated with JeM. “They were wanted by law for their complicity in a series of terror crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities”, police said.
“According to the police records, both the killed terrorists Abid Wagay and Shahjahan Mir were involved in the abduction and subsequent killings of civilians Firdous Ahmad of Batgund and Nissar Ahmad of Kapran and policeman Balwant Singh of Batgund last year in 2018. They were also involved in the killing of lady Khusboo Jan at Viel, Shopian earlier this year. Moreover both were also involved in killing of a civilian Tanveer Ahmad of Bemnipora at Kachdoora in Shopian. Both of them were also involved in arson and setting ablaze of Panchayat Ghars at Kanjiullar and Ramnagar”, police said.
“As per the police records, Shahjahan was also involved in snatching of weapons and killing of four police personnel at Arhama, Shopian near petrol pump last year in 2018. He was also involved in attack on police station Shopian in which one cop Saqib Mohi-ud-Din had attained martyrdom and his rifle was snatched. He was involved in the abduction and killing of a young boy Huzaif Ashraf Kuttay resident of Manzgam DH Pora”, police said.
Police further said: “Several terror crime cases were registered against both of them for planning and executing terror attacks on security establishments and killing of civilians in the area”.
Police said that incriminating materials including arms and ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter. “All these materials have been taken in the case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crime cases”, police added.
The encounter triggered massive clashes between security forces and the youth in which 20 protesters were injured several of them with pellets wounds. They were shifted to nearby medical facility.
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