Accused in Shujaat Bukhari murder among 6 militants killed in encounter in J-K’s Anantnag

Officials said they had information that six or seven militants were hiding at Seikpora village and when search and cordon operation began in early hours it turned into an operation.

A militant accused of killing journalist Shujaat Bukhari was among the six operatives linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen who were killed on Friday in a gun battle with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, officials said.

Army soldiers near an encounter site in Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI Photo)

Azad Malik has been accused in editor-in-chief of Rising Kashmir Bukhari’s murder, police said. The 50-year-old editor was attacked by three motorcycle-borne gunmen while he was entering his car on June 14, the eve of Id-ul-Fitr, in Srinagar. Two of his security guards were also killed in the incident.

“We have recovered war-like stores from encounter site,” army spokesperson Rajesh Kalia said.

The other militants killed in the gun battle in Bijbehera area in south Kashmir were identified as Unais Shafi, Shahid Bashir, Basit Ishtiyaq, Aqib Najar and Firdous Najar, all local residents. All 6 were wanted for their complicity in a series of terror crimes, police said.

Officials said they had information that six or seven militants were hiding at Seikpora village and when search and cordon operation began in early hours it turned into an operation.