Jehangeer Ganai
Pulwama, Jan 5: Three militants affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad including a local were killed in an encounter in Chandgam area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said on Wednesday.
A senior police officer said that acting on a tip-off, a joint team of Police, Army and CRPF launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) on specific information about the presence of militants in the area.
He said that as the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, which was retaliated, triggering a gunfight.
The official said that during the search operation, as the joint search party proceeded towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired indiscriminately at the joint search party which was retaliated effectively leading to an encounter.
“In the ensuing encounter, three militants were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. Among the killed militants, two have been identified as a local militant Mir Owais, resident of Ashmander, Pulwama and a Pakistani national Talha Yasir linked with JeM. Regarding the third killed militant, although the recoveries made from the site of encounter indicate him to be a foreigner, however his identification is being ascertained.
A police spokesman said that arms and ammunition including two M-4 Carbine and 01 AK series rifle were recovered from the site of encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation.
IGP Kashmir congratulated the joint security forces for conducting successful operation without any collateral damage and termed the killing of three Jaish militants as a “big success” for police and other forces.
Defence spokesman in Srinagar Colonel Emron Musavi in a statement to KNO that taking advantage of the darkness and inclement weather, troops successfully established a grid lock around the target house and sealed all escape routes.
“Militants on seeing the escape routes blocked resorted to heavy firing including lobbing of grenades on the security forces at 05:30 am. This was effectively retaliated by own troops and in the exchange of fire, three hard core militants including two Pakistani militants of JeM outfit were neutralised by the security forces,” the spokesman said.
He said that the third local slain was identified as Mir Owais Amin, of Ashimdor, Pulwama who was since February 2020.
“He was an OGW of JeM outfit before joining active militant and used to provide a passage and accommodation to the foreign militant of JeM in Pulwama area,” the defence spokesman said. He said the security forces have killed 17 militants in last two weeks in South Kashmir, including three foreign militants and four JeM militants.
