SRINAGAR: Two militants killed in a gunfight with the counter-insurgent forces at Gundipora village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district were affiliated with the Jaish-E-Muhammad outfit, an official said.

A police spokesman in a statement said that police along with forces have killed two militants of the prescribed outfit JeM in an encounter in Pulwama including the killer of police personnel Ct Reyaz Ahmad.

The spokesman in a statement said that yesterday, at about 1745hrs, on a specific input generated by Kulgam Police regarding the presence of militants in village Gundipora area of Pulwama, a joint cordon & search operation was launched by Pulwama Police, Army (55RR) and CRPF (182/183Bn) in the said area.

He said that during the search operation, as the joint search party approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants hidden in the residential house of Nazir Ahmad Mir son of Mohammad Sultan Mir fired indiscriminately upon search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter.

He added that to avoid any collateral damage due to darkness, the operation was suspended during the night hours and in the wee hours the operation was resumed.

“In the ensuing encounter two militants identified as Abid Hussain Shah son of Late Mushtaq Ahmad Shah resident of Monghama Pulwama and Saqib Azad Sofi son of Azad Ahmad Sofi resident of Amshipora Shopian were killed, affiliated with proscribed outfit JeM,” said police spokesman in a statement.

“Their bodies were retrieved alongwith the incriminating materials including 02 AK rifles from the site of encounter. All the recovered materials from the site of encounter have been taken into case records for further investigation,” he said.

“As per police records, both the militants were categorized militants and were part of groups involved in several crime cases including attacks on Police/SF and civilian atrocities,” he added.

“Pertinently, the slain militant Abid Shah was involved in recent killing of policeman Ct. Reyaz Ahmad at his residential house at Gadoora area of Pulwama on 13th May 2022,” said police spokesman in a statement.

IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar congratulated the joint forces for carrying out the anti-militant operation in professional manner without any collateral damage.

He also appreciated the joint team for tracking and neutralizing the militants involved in the recent killing of policeman in Pulwama.

While interacting with media, IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that Police have succeeded to a large extent to prevent youth from taking up the arms and are working on multi-dimensional fronts to prevent local militant recruitment, those who motivate and lure young boys towards terrorism are being booked under PSA.

He also said that we are also tracking new recruits through technical surveillance and bringing them back.

In this regard, a case under relevant sections of law has been registered and an investigation has been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with Police till the area at the encounter site is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials, if any, said a police spokesman in a statement.

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