A member of the terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Muhammed and 3 other terrorists were gunned down in the early hours of Friday morning in Srinagar's Pantha Chowk area, Kashmir Police have revealed. As many as nine terrorists have been killed in three separate encounters during the past 24 hours.
Four security force personnel—including three policemen and one of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)—were also injured in the encounter, which was a collaborative effort between the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Kashmir Police have quoted Inspector General Vijay Kumar who revealed the identity of the JeM operative as Suhail Ahmad Rather who is also wanted for his involvement in the Zewan terror attack. All terrorists involved in he Zewan attack have been neutralised, he said.
"As revealed during yesterday's Press Conference, terrorist Suhail was also involved in Zewan Terror Attack. All terrorists involved in the Zewan attack have been neutralised," Kashmir Zone Police on Twitter quoted Kumar as saying. Arms and ammunition, as well as other incriminating evidence have been seized from the scene.
Terrorists attacked a police vehicle in Zewan on the outskirts of Srinagar on December 13, killing 3 police personnel and injuring 14. On December 10, another terrorist attack in Bandipora's Gulshan Chowk killed another 2 policemen. Suhail Ahmed is also alleged to have participated directly in the Zewan attack.
The J&K security forces on Wednesday confirmed the killing of three JeM terrorists in Kulgam. Speaking in a joint press conference with the Army, Kashmir IGP Vijay Kumar said that the two local terrorists and one Pakistani militant were killed by the armed forces in an encounter. The forces said that no collateral damage was reported. The joint security forces killed a total of six terrorists of proscribed outfit JeM in two separate encounters on Monday and Tuesday.
IGP Kumar said that the encounter in Kulgam had brought the number of identified terrorists in the Valley to 85-86, which is the first time the population of local terorists have been reduced below 100.