Two Jaish terrorists killed in Baramulla

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, September 30

Two Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces near the Srinagar-Baramulla highway in north Kashmir on Friday. Security officials said the militants were planning to attack the Army’s Agniveer recruitment rally at Hyderbeigh in Pattan sub-district of Baramulla. The two-week recruitment rally concluded today.

SSP Rayees Mohammad Bhat said the gunfight broke out at Yedipora village nearly half a kilometre away from the highway when the security forces cordoned off the area following an input about the militants’ presence.

He said arms and ammunition, including an AKS-74U, locally known as Krinkov rifle, were seized from the site. “The plan of the terrorists was to disturb the Army’s Agniveer recruitment rally at Hyderbeig Pattan,” Bhat said.

“The information we have is that terrorists had reached here to target the Agniveer rally,” he said, adding that the operation was successful due to alerts already issued by the security forces and the heightened security ahead of the Home Minister’s visit.

Kashmir ADGP Vijay Kumar said the deceased killed in the Baramulla encounter were affiliated to the Jaish-e-Mohammad. “Although the site of encounter has been sanitised, people are requested to avoid going in droves near the encounter site and report any suspicious object to the police immediately,” he said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah would be addressing two mega rallies in Baramulla and Rajouri districts next week.