Two militants killed in Kulgam encounter

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 16

Security forces in a joint overnight operation killed two local militants of The Resistance Front (TRF), considered to be a shadow grouping of the Laskhar-e-Toiba in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, police officials said today.

The officials said the gun battle erupted at Redwani Bala late on Wednesday night when a joint team of the police, the Army and the CRPF launched a cordon-and-search operation in the area after receiving inputs about the presence of militants there.

“An opportunity was given to the trapped terrorists to surrender. The terrorists, however, opened indiscriminate fire on the security forces. Intermittent exchange of fire kept taking place and around 2.20 am, the two trapped terrorists were neutralised,” a senior J&K Police official said.

The slain militants were later identified as Aamir Bashir Dar of Kujjar Yaripora and Aadil Yousuf Shan of Sursano in Kulgam district.

“Both were ‘C’ category terrorists. They were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit TRF/LET,” the official said.

Aamir had been active since April 2021 and Aadil since October 2021, the official said, adding that incriminating material, arms and ammunition were seized from the encounter site.

Arms, ammunition seized

• Incriminating material, arms and ammunition have been seized. The slain men are Aamir Bashir Dar and Aadil Yousuf Shan of Kulgam
• Police say they were asked to surrender but they fired at security men