Srinagar
A top commander of Jaish-e-Muhammad militant outfit among two killed in a gunfight with the counter insurgent forces on Saturday in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.
A police spokesman in a statement said that on a credible input, a cordon and search operation was launched jointly by police and security forces in Banday Mohalla Bonbazar area of district Shopian.
He said that during the search operation, the hiding militants fired on the search party. The fire was retaliated leading to encounter.
“In the ensuing encounter, 02 militants were killed and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter,” he said.
A police spokesman in a statement said that one of the slain militant has been identified as Mir Zeenat Ul Islam of Turkawanghom Shopian. From the incriminating materials recovered at the site of encounter, the other slain militant has been identified as Pakistani code named Munna.
“It was a combined group of HM and JeM and as per the Police records Zeenat was affiliated with proscribed outfit HM while as Munna was affiliated with proscribed outfit JeM. Both were wanted by law for their complicity in several crimes including attacks on security establishments and civilian atrocities,” said the spokesman.
“According to the Police records, Zeenat was part of groups involved in several crimes. Several crime cases were registered against him including case FIR No. 25/2019 pertaining to abduction and killing of a civilian Irfan Hameed of Zainapora. He was also involved in case FIR No. 23/2019 of PS Zainapora Shopian,” he said.
“Similarly Munna was also involved in planning and executing a series of attacks on security establishments and many other civilian atrocities in the area. He was involved in case of FIR NO. 125/2019 pertaining to IED blast on security forces in Arihal area of Pulwama on 17-06-2019 in which 02 security force personnel were killed. Several other criminal cases were registered against him. He was also responsible for the recruitment of locals to the terrorist ranks,” he added.
“Incriminating material 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 cases,” said the spokesman.
“Pertinently, with the efforts of police and security forces, it was a clean operation and no collateral damage took place during the exchange of fire,” he said.
“People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials if any,” said police spokesman in a statement.
