Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Dec 26: A top commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), was killed in an encounter with security forces in Awantipora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district today.
A joint team of Army’s 50 RR, Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF laid a cordon around Karnabal, Samboora village in Awantipora area of Pulwama last night following inputs about the presence of three militants in the village.
During searches, militants fired on the troops leading to an encounter in which JeM commander Noor Mohammad Tantray alias Noor Trali was killed. The house in which militants were hiding was damaged and the body was recovered along with arms and ammunition from the debris.
A police spokesman said that in a significant breakthrough security forces acting on a specific input cordoned a cluster of houses at Samboora which resulted in a fierce gun battle leading to elimination of top JeM commander Noor Mohammed Tantray.
He said that Noor, who was a convict in a case registered some time in 2003 in Delhi, was serving his sentence at Central Jail Srinagar until he was out on parole in the year 2015. He was arrested in Delhi in 2003 and sentenced to life by a POTA Court in 2011.
“Consequently, he remained in Tral and became a major Over Ground Worker of JeM in the belt. In July 2017, after the Aripal encounter, where three JeM terrorists were killed, Noor went underground and soon became the key man of JeM in coordinating and organising attacks at different places”, the spokesman said.
The spokesman said that JeM commander was one of the chief architects of the BSF camp attack near Srinagar airport this year. Besides he was wanted in a number of terror offences in South and Central Kashmir. Police said he along with his associates was planning to attack a convoy on Srinagar-Jammu highway.
Tantray, who was only 3 feet long, hailed from Tral area of South Kashmir and his death is being seen as a blow to the militant group as he was the key in reviving the JeM in South and Central Kashmir.
Army’s Sector-1 Commander, Brigadier Sanjiv Saroch, told reporters that his killing is a major setback to JeM. “It is the major setback for militant caders and a success for security forces. The killed militant was involved in many attacks on security forces and his neutralization was a major challenge for security forces.
The militant was involved in many terror activities and has been jailed once”, he said.
Meanwhile, the authorities snapped internet services in Pulwama district, while Railway authorities suspended train service to South Kashmir as a precautionary measure.
A complete spontaneous shutdown was observed in Tral, Pampore and its adjoining areas. Reports of minor stone-pelting between protesters and security forces were received from Kakapora in the morning but later situation normalized amid a shutdown.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
