Baramulla: A gunfight between militants and forces in Malwah area of Baramulla district ended on Friday evening with the killing of three militants including most wanted commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander. On Friday, one more militant was killed taking the total number of slain to three.
The police said that the slain LeT commander Yousuf Kantroo figured in the list of top 10 most wanted militants in Kashmir and he was the longest surviving militants in the Valley.
A senior police officer said that the top LeT commander Mohammad Yousuf Dar alias Yousuf Kantroo and two other militants were killed in the 40-hour-long gun-battle while Four soldiers and a policeman were also injured in the operation that started on Thursday morning shortly after the militants started firing towards the positions of the search party of forces, which was retaliated.
“Friday evening, the operation ended and the bodies of slain militants also were recovered from the encounter site and identified them as Yusuf Dar alias Kantru, Hilal Sheikh and Hanzalla and Faisal Dar, all affiliated with proscribed militant outfit LeT. Incriminating materials, arms & ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter,” Kashmir zone police tweeted.
A police official said that the operation was one of the longest gun-battles between militants and forces in Kashmir of this year as it lasted for 40 hours.
“Kantroo earlier joined as an OGW of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit and was arrested in the year 2005. Later on, he was released in the year 2008 but he again joined militant rank in the year 2017 and started killing innocent civilians, policemen and political workers. Later on he switched from Hizb to Lashkar outfit.”
Police said that the identification of other two slain militant was being ascertained. Police said that as per police records, the killed militants were categorized and part of groups involved in several crime cases including attacks on Police/SFs and civilian atrocities.
Police said that Kantroo was involved in dozens of civilian atrocities and forces personnel killings including killing of SPO Mohd Ishfaq Dar and his brother Umer Ahmad Dar resident of Chatabugh Budgam on 26/03/2022, killing of BDC Chairman Late Sardar Bhupinder Singh on 23/9/20 in his own native place in Khag, killing of NC Block president at Natipora Chanapora Srinagar and dozens of other incidents.
In addition to this, police said that the slain Kantroo was also involved in recruiting innocent/gullible youth into militancy folds including recruitment of Faisal Hafeez Dar of Aaripanth Magam into militant ranks
