PULWAMA — Two local militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant outfit were killed in an overnight encounter that broke out between government forces and militants at Gundipora village in Pulwama district of South Kashmir on Sunday.
Reports said a joint team of government forces including Indian Army, J&K Police and CRPF had launched Cordon-and-Search-Operation (CASO) at Gundipora village 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, two local militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant outfit were killed and they have been identified as Abid Hussain Shah, son of Late Mushtaq Ahmad Shah from Monghama Pulwama and Saqib Azad Sofi, son of Azad Ahmad Sofi from Amshipora Shopian.
Incriminating materials including 02 AK rifles from the site of encounter.
Police Version
Police in a statement said, “yesterday, at about 1745hrs, on a specific input generated by Kulgam Police regarding presence of militants in village Gundipora area of Pulwama, a joint cordon & search operation was launched by Pulwama Police, Army (55RR) and CRPF (182/183Bn) in the said area. During the search operation, as the joint search party approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants hidden in the residential house of Nazir Ahmad Mir son of Mohd Sultan Mir fired indiscriminately upon search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter”.
The statement said that “the operation was suspended during the night hours and in the wee hours the operation was resumed. In the ensuing encounter two militants affiliated with proscribed militant outfit JeM were killed”.
As per police records, both the killed militants were categorized militants and were part of groups involved in several terror crime cases including attacks on Police/SF and civilian atrocities. Pertinently, the killed militant Abid Shah was involved in recent killing of unarmed policeman Ct. Reyaz Ahmad at his residential house at Gadoora area of Pulwama on 13th May 2022.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that Police have succeeded to a large extent to prevent youth from taking up the arms and are working on multi dimensional fronts to prevent local militant recruitment, those who motivate and lure young boys towards terrorism are being booked under PSA.
He also said that, we are also tracking new recruits through technical surveillance and bringing them back. — (KIMS)