Naved ul-Haq
Srinagar, Jun 16: A Lashkar-e-Toiba militant was killed in an overnight gunfight at Wagoroa area of Nowgam in Srinagar, police said Wednesday.
A police official said that on the intervening night of June 15/16, acting on a specific information about presence of militants in Wagoora area of Nowgam Srinagar, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Srinagar Police, Army and CRPF.
“During the search operation as the presence of militants got ascertained, he was given an opportunity to surrender, however, he fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter,” the official said.
He said that in the ensuing encounter, one militant was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of the encounter. “He has been identified as Uzair Ashraf Dar resident of Wandina Melhoora, Shopian,” the official said, adding that a pistol, several rounds, and a grenade was recovered from the slain militant.
A police spokesman in a statement said that as per police records, he was part of groups involved in many incidents including attack on security forces. “He was linked with Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit,” the spokesman said. “Arms, ammunition & other incriminating materials were recovered from the site of the encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe his complicity in other crimes.”
In this connection police have registered a case under relevant sections of law and investigation has been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared off of all the explosive materials, if any.”
