2 JeM militants killed in Pattan encounter, planned to target Army recruitment rally: Police

Srinagar, Sept 30: Two local Jaish-e-Mohammad militabt planning to target the Army’s Agniveer recruitment rally were killed in an encounter with government forces in Pattan area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Friday, police said.
Talking to reporters  Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla, Rayees Bhat said government forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Yedipora area of Pattan in the early hours of Friday after information was received from intelligence agencies about the presence of militants there. “During the searches, the militants opened fire and an encounter ensued. The operation went on for a long time and in the morning hours, two militants were killed,” the SSP said.
Bhat said the terrorists were planning to target the Army’s Agniveer recruitment rally which concluded in Pattan’s Hyderbeig on Thursday.
“The information we have is that they (terrorists) had reached here to target the Army’s Agniveer (recruitment) rally and they were planning to disturb the youth who are trying to join the mainstream and to make this rally unsuccessful. But we foiled their plans,” he said.
The security forces recovered an AKS-74U rifle from the encounter site along with three magazines, a pistol, a pistol magazine and two bullets, he said.
“AKS-74U is a new version of AK-47, normally with the FTs (foreign terrorists), locally known as Karencov but actually called Kirinkov,” he added. SSP also appealed  youth not to take the violent path. Asked if the militants were trying to show their presence ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the SSP said the operation was successful because of an alert already issued by the government forces and the heightened security ahead of the visit.
As already reported Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir from September 30 to address two mega rallies in Rajouri and Baramulla, but his visit, however, was postponed to October 4. The SSP said that  identity of the slain militants is being ascertained.
However, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the slain militants belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Kashmir Zone Police on it’s twitter handle quoted ADGP Vijay Kumar as saying that two local militants killed in the encounter are linked with Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfit , adding that search operation in progress and further details shall follow. Another encounter broke out in Chitragam in south Kashmir’s Shopian district in the early hours of Friday following a cordon and search operation in the area on the basis of inputs about the presence of militants there, a police official said.