J&K: Two Lashkar militants shot dead in Budgam gunfight

The militants, as per additional director general of police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, had escaped from a cordon and search operation at Radbugh Magam area after a shoot-out on Sunday

Two terrorists affiliated with proscribed outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in an encounter with security forces near the court complex in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam on Tuesday, police said.

Army personnel at the site of encounter where two militants were neutralised in Budgam on Tuesday. (Waseem Andrabi/HT)

The militants, as per the police, had escaped from a cordon and search operation at Radbugh Magam area after a shoot-out on Sunday.

They have been identified as Arbaaz Mir and Shahid Sheikh of Pulwama district, the police said.

According to the police, based on specific inputs, a joint area domination party of the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police tried to stop one suspected vehicle, but terrorists opened fire. Two terrorists were killed in retaliatory firing, a police spokesperson said.

Additional director general of police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the duo had recently escaped the police cordon.

“The slain terrorists are Arbaaz Mir and Shahid Sheikh of Pulwama who were linked with the proscribed terror outfit LeT. Both the terrorists earlier escaped from recent encounter,” he said in a tweet.

Tuesday’s encounter was the second such operation this month.

An AK rifle and a pistol were recovered from them, he said.

“It is a matter of investigation whether they were headed to Srinagar. Perhaps they were moving in search of a new hideout after leaving the old one,” DGP Dilbag Singh said.