Three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sunday, amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Jammu division.
Police officials said the encounter started at the Pahoo area of Pulwama when a joint party of security forces cordoned off the area in the afternoon after getting information about the presence of the militants.
The gunfight went on for a couple of hours during which three LeT militants were killed.
Inspector general of police, Vijay Kumar identified one of the militants as Arif Hazar who was involved in the killings of two policemen and a shopkeeper.
“Arif Hazar alias Rehan, deputy of LeT’s top commander (Basit), was killed in Pulwama encounter. He was involved in killings of police inspector Parvez in front of a mosque, sub-inspector Arshid and a mobile shop owner in downtown. Several FIRs are registered against him in Srinagar city,” Kumar said in a tweet
{{/usCountry}}“Arif Hazar alias Rehan, deputy of LeT’s top commander (Basit), was killed in Pulwama encounter. He was involved in killings of police inspector Parvez in front of a mosque, sub-inspector Arshid and a mobile shop owner in downtown. Several FIRs are registered against him in Srinagar city,” Kumar said in a tweet
{{/usCountry}}Later, a police spokesperson identified the other two as Abu Huzaifa alias Haqqani (a Pakistani terrorist) and Natish Wani alias Haider, a resident of Khanyar, Srinagar.
As per local reports, Natish Wani, a teenager, had gone missing on April 16 and his family made multiple appeals for his return.
A police spokesperson said that all the slain militants were part of groups involved in several terror crime cases.
“Pertinently, the slain terrorist Arif Hazar was a categorised terrorist, active since March 2021 and involved in several terror crime cases, including attacks on police and civilians. He was also involved in grenade attacks on police patrolling party at Safakadal and joint naka party at Rainawari. Moreover, he along with his associates. was also involved in an attack on BJP leader’s residence at Aribagh, Nowgam Srinagar. In this terror attack, a police personnel Rameez Raja attained martyrdom and his service rifle was also snatched. He was also involved in attack on two outside labourers at Suthsoo Kalan area of Nowgam on April 22, 2022,” the spokesman added.