Srinagar: Zakir Musa, the Chief of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda, was trapped Thursday after government forces launched a cordon and search operation in a village in Tral of South Kashmir, official said.
Reports about Musa’s death had started circulating on social media during the encounter, but senior police officials maintained that firing was still on and the trapped militants, believed to be two in number, were still firing and hurling grenades.
Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh said, “The firing is still on. We will be able to give the identity of the militants only after the encounter ends.”
Meanwhile, the administration has ordered closure of all educational institutes, including schools and colleges, on Friday and Saturday as a precautionary measure in Kashmir valley, where mobile internet services has been suspended.