Lashkar militant killed in encounter at Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla

Jammu and Kashmir Police say they were acting on an input about the presence of the militant in the area; fifth militant to be neutralised in five days

A Lashkar-e-Taiba militant from Kulgam was killed in an encounter in Karhama village in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Saturday morning.

Security personnel deployed near the site of the encounter in Kunzar area of Baramulla district, Jammu and Kashmir. (PTI)

Sharing details, police said they were acting on a specific input regarding the presence of a militant in Karhama, Kunzer area of Baramulla. A joint cordon and search operation was launched by Police, Army (2nd RR) and CRPF (176 Bn) in the area.

“During the search operation, as the joint search party approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding terrorist fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which retaliated effectively leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, a local terrorist linked with proscribed terrorist outfit LeT was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of encounter,” a Jammu and Kashmir Police spokesperson said after the operation ended.

“Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including an AK-47 rifle were recovered from the site of the encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation,” he said, adding, “The plan of the killed terrorist was to target Srinagar Gulmarg road.”

The militant has been identified as Abid Wani of Yarhol Babapora Kulgam.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Baramulla Amod Nagpore told reporters that due to security alerts in view of the G20 meeting, the forces are getting a lot of inputs that resulted in the killings of three militants in the last 48 hours. “This operation was also launched on specific input about militant presence in the area,” he added.

On Thursday, two militants from south Kashmir were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Kreeri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Both the slain militants were locals belonging to south Kashmir’s Shopian district. They had joined militant ranks in the month of March.

Two infiltrators had also been gunned down near Line of Control in frontier district of Kupwara at Machil sector on Wednesday.

Ahead of G20 meetings, scheduled between May 22 to 24, security across Kashmir has been beefed up and search and cordon operations are launched on a daily basis across the Valley.