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Terrorist behind killing of BJP leader among 3 gunned down in Kashmir
Saturday’s encounter comes against the backdrop of a series of gunfights between the forces and terrorists. According to official figures, 94 terrorists have been killed in the region this year.
A Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist involved in the killing of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was shot dead along with two other members of the terror outfit by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama on Saturday, police said.
Police said Wakeel Ahmad Shah, a resident Tral, was linked to the murder of BJP leader Rakesh Pandita in June.
“We have issued a list of top 10 terrorists who are on our target. He [Shah] appears on the list. He was also involved in the killing of BJP leader Rakesh Pandita and in the killing a special police officer and some civilians,” Inspector General of Police (IGP) Vijay Kumar
Pandita, the chairman of a municipal committee, was killed by terrorists on June 2 when he was visiting his hometown of Tral.
According to Kumar, a joint team of the police and army launched a search operation in the forests of Nagaberan Dhoka area after receiving inputs about the presence of the Jaish terrorists.
“Our jawans approached the target and cordoned the place. They [the terrorists] were given an opportunity to surrender but they opened fire and in retaliation, they were killed,” Kumar said.
Police have identified the second terrorist as Ab Hamid Chopan, whose son Adil Chopan was killed in an encounter in 2017, while the third terrorist has been identified as Illyas Najar of Pulwama, who has been active since June 2019. “Terrorist Hamid was involved in #killing of #civilians,” Kashmir Police said in a Twitter post.
“Illyas Najar was involved in many terror crime cases & civilian atrocities,” the Police added
The IGP said that political leaders and workers have been targeted by the terrorists in the region since the late 1980s but assured that they will attempt to provide security to the a maximum number of people. Three political leaders have been killed in the region in a fortnight.
“If someone is threatened or falls in vulnerable areas we are assessing and providing them security,” he said and added that they were investigating the killing of Apni Party Worker Ghulam Hassan Lone in Kulgam on Thursday.
Issuing a warning to terrorists, the IGP said: “If you think you will kill innocent civilians and run away into forests to hide, be informed that we will trace you there as well.”
Saturday’s encounter comes against the backdrop of a series of gunfights between the forces and terrorists. Two terrorists belonging to the “hit squad” of Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in an encounter at Khrew in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Friday. According to official figures, 94 terrorists have been killed in the region this year.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Victor Force Major General Rashim Bali said the forces have sent out a strong message to the terrorists.
“A strong message has gone out by this operation that there is no place for terrorists either in a built-up area or otherwise. Even if they go into the jungle we will get information about them,” he said.
On Taliban threat
Kumar said the forces were ready to deal with any challenge while alluding to a potential security risk from the Taliban.
“As a police officer I would say that any terrorist who comes into our territory, our work is to collect information and launch operations with the army to neutralize any threat. Whatever challenge will be in future we will deal with it professionally and we are alert,” he said.
