Srinagar: Two terrorists including a top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Junaid Mattoo along with his aide Muzammil were gunned down by the security forces in a fierce encounter in Kulgam district of Kashmir on Friday. Besides killing of two terrorists, the security forces nabbed the third terrorists from the encounter site.
According to a senior police official, the encounter began early on Friday morning between the security forces comprising the Rashtriya Rifles, CRPF and the SOG of the state police in Arwani village of Kulgam district.
“On receiving input about the presence of Matto with some other terrorists in the area, the security forces swung into action and cordoned the entire area and started an intensive search operation,” said the police official.
However, the local on getting information about the terrorists being trapped by the security forces, gathered near the security cordon.
As the locals started pelting stones at the outer ring of the security cordon manned by the CRPF, the Rashtriya Rifles got engaged in a fierce gun-battle with the trapped terrorists.
The three trapped terrorists were initial asked to surrender but they instead fired at the Army using AK rifles and even UBGL.
The encounter lasted for a few hours and finally, two terrorists including Matto and Muzammil were gunned down and their third partner was nabbed alive, said the police official.
The police official further said that though the encounter has ended, a search and combing operation was still on in the area.
On the other a civilian was killed in Kulgam where the encounter between the holed up terrorists and the security forces was on.
The man was hit by a bullet near the encounter site.
Police sources said Muhammad Ashraf was hit in Arwani village in Kulgam. “The injured was taken to the district hospital where he succumbed to his injuries,” police sources said.
Meanwhile, a policeman injured in a terrorist attack in Srinagar succumbed to his injuries on Friday.
Two policemen including the victim Constable Sajad Ahmad were injured on Thursday evening evening when the terrorists fired at a check-post in the city’s Hyderpora area.
“The injured policemen were hospitalised. Ahmad died in the early hours of Friday,” said police.