PULWAMA — Three local militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant outfit were killed in an overnight encounter that broke out between government forces and militants at Drabgam village in Pulwama district of South Kashmir on Saturday.
Reports said a joint team of government forces including Indian Army, J&K Police and CRPF had launched Cordon-and-Search-Operation (CASO) at Drabgam village in Pulwama district following the inputs about presence of militants in the area.
They said that as the joint team of forces approached the suspected spot, militants fired upon them which was retaliated, triggering an encounter.
In the encounter three local militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant outfit were killed and they have been identified as Junaid Sheergojri from Gudoora, Fazil Nazir Bhat from Drabgam and Irfan Ahmad Malik from Arabal Nikas village of Pulwama district.
Incriminating materials, arms & ammunition including 02 AK 47 rifles and 01 pistol have been recovered from the site of encounter.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar congratulated the joint teams for carrying out the anti-militancy operation in professional manner without any collateral damage. He also appreciated the joint team for tracking & neutralizing the militants involved in the recent killing of policeman in Pulwama.
As per police records, all the three killed militants were part of groups involved in several terror crime cases including attacks on Police/SFs and civilian atrocities.
The police statement said that “the killed militant Junaid Sheergojri along with his associate Abid Hussain Shah of Monghama Pulwama, who stands neutralised on 30/05/2022, was involved in killing of police personnel Reyaz Ahmad at his residential house on 13th May 2022. Besides, he was also involved in recent attack on outside labourers at a brick kiln in Chadoora on 02/06/2022 in the outskirts of Pulwama-Budgam axis in which one labourer was killed and others injured”. — (KIMS)