Shopian/May 3: Three Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants including a key associate of top Hizb Commander late Burhan Wani were on Friday killed and an army man injured in a gun battle in Adkhara Village in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, said Jammu and Kashmir Police.
In a statement issued on Friday Police said “on a credible input a cordon and search operation was launched on Friday by Police and security forces at Adkhara Village in Imam Sahab area of district Shopian”, adding that “during searches, the hiding terrorists fired upon the search party. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter. Initially, with the efforts of police and security forces, the civilians trapped around the encounter site were evacuated to safer places. Besides, one army jawan Yugendar Kumar sustained gunshot injuries. He was evacuated to hospital and is undergoing medical treatment”
Saying that In the ensuing encounter, three militants were killed and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter, the police in its statement said “the three killed militants have been identified as Lateef Ahmad Dar alias Tiger of Dogripora Pulwama, Tariq Ahmad Sheikh alias Mufti Waqas of Moolu Chitragam Shopian and Shariq Ahmad Nengroo of Chotigam Shopian.
According to the Police records, all the three terrorists were affiliated with the proscribed terror outfit HM and were wanted by law for their complicity in a series of terror crimes including attacks on security establishments and civilian atrocities.
“As per Police records, Lateef had a long history of terror crime records since 2014 and was involved in planning and executing several terror attacks in the area. Several terror crime cases were registered against him”, the statement reads further.
Saying that Tariq also had a long history of crime records and was involved in several attacks, the police in the statement said “several terror crime cases were registered against him. He was part of groups involved in planning and executing terror attacks on the security establishments in the area. He was instrumental in luring youth to join terror organisations. Moreover, he was also involved in several weapon snatching cases reported from the area. Shariq was also involved in several terror attacks.”
Claiming that incriminating material including arms & ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter, Police in its statement said” a case. Has been registered and all the said incriminating materials have been taken in case records to probe their complicity in other crimes”.
