2 LeT terrorists behind TV artiste Amreen Bhat's killing trapped in encounter: Police

According to police, the first encounter began around 9.33pm on Wednesday when a joint cordon and search operation was launched to nab two terrorists hiding in Awantipora’s Aghanzipora area.

Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) men, involved in the killing of TV artiste Amreen Bhat, were among four terrorists of the outfit killed in separate encounters in Jammu & Kashmir’s Srinagar and Awantipora districts, police said on Friday.

Two LeT terrorists, who were allegedly involved in the killing of a TV artist in Budgam district, have been trapped in an encounter with security forces in South Kashmir’s Awantipora. (ANI/Representational)

According to the police, the first encounter began around 9.33pm on Wednesday when a joint cordon and search operation was launched to nab two terrorists hiding in Awantipora’s Aghanzipora area.

“As the cordon was being tightened around the target house, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on the Security Forces. Security forces returned the fire, while simultaneously reinforcing and tightening the cordon. The ensuing firefight resulted in the elimination of two terrorists by 02:15 AM on 27 May 2022,” said an official statement released by the police department.

Inspector-General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar termed the encounter a success. “Heinous murder case of TV artiste Amreen Bhat solved in 24 hours...10 terrorists, including three from Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and seven from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfits killed in three days in Kashmir Valley,” he said.

So far this year, 30 foreign terrorists, including 14 members of the Jaish-e-Mohammad and 16 of LeT have been killed in the Valley.

The slain LeT men have been identified as Shahid Mushtaq Bhat of Hafroo Chadoora, Budgam, and Farhan Habib of Hakripora, Pulwama. The two terrorists recently joined terror ranks and were involved in killing of Bhat on the direction of LeT Commander Lateef, Kumar added.

Bhat was shot dead by terrorists outside her house in Budgam’s Hashroo village on May 25. Her 10-year-old nephew was injured in the incident.

Another encounter later broke out in the Soura area of Srinagar city where two LeT terrorists, identified as Shakir Ahmad Waza and Afreen Aftab Malik, were shot dead, the police said. Both the terrorists were residents of Trenz in Shopian.

“A special and small team of police launched a cordon and search operation in the said area. During the search, as the presence of terrorists was ascertained and the search party proceeded towards the suspected spot the hiding terrorists fired indiscriminately upon the search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists of proscribed terror outfit LeT were killed,” a police spokesperson said.

“As per police records both the slain men were categorised terrorists and were part of groups involved in several terror crimes, including attacks on the police and security forces. Incriminating materials, huge cache of arms & ammunition was recovered from both the sites of encounter.”

In another operation in Bemina, police and security forces arrested a hybrid LeT terrorist, identified as Nasir Ahmad Dar of Sopore. “An individual suspiciously approaching towards the checkpoint was challenged who tried to flee but was apprehended,” the police spokesperson said.