Four militants killed in encounter in Shopian

24/06/2019

SRINAGAR, Jun 23: Four local militants were Sunday killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district, the Army said.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Daramdora area of Shopian, following information about the presence of militants there, an Army official said.
He said as the forces were conducting searches, the hiding militants fired upon them.
The security forces retaliated, the official said, adding four militants were killed in the gunbattle.
A police spokesman identified them as Rafi Hassan Mir, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, Showkat Ahmad Mir and Azad Ahmad Khanday.
While Showkat Ahmad Mir had joined militant ranks in 2015, the other three had recently joined him. "Showkat was instrumental in recruiting Azad, Rafi and Suhail in terrorist ranks. Showkat was initially associated with Hizbul Mujahideen," he said.
While the spokesman did not comment on the affiliation of the slain militants, sources said they were affiliated to Ansar Gazwatul Hind, an offshoot of Al Qaeda.
On a credible input a cordon and search operation was launched at Panzar area in District Shopian, by Police and security forces.
During searches, terrorists fired upon the search party. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter.
In the ensuing encounter, 04 terrorists were killed and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. The killed terrorists have been identified as Rafi Hassan Mir of Kralchak Shopian, Suhail Ahmad Bhat of Batmuran Shopian, Showkat Ahmad Mir of Rajpora Pulwama and Azad Ahmad Khanday of Bamnoo Pulwama.
Among the four killed terrorists, Showkat had a long history of terror crime records since 2015. He was initially part of proscribed terror outfit HM.
Showkat, as per police records, was wanted by law for his complicity in a series of terror crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities. Several terror crime cases were registered against him including Case FIR No. 113/2016 of P/S Rajpora pertaining to firing on a guard post at Sheikhard, Case FIR No. 02/2017 of P/S Rajpora pertaining to the lobbing of grenade on security forces, Case FIR No. 20/2017 of P/S Rajpora pertaining to firing on civilians Bashir Ahmad Dar and Altaf Ahmad at Qasabyar in which Bashir Dar succumbed and Altaf was seriously injured, Case FIR No. 21/2017 of P/S Rajpora pertaining to civilian atrocities and Case FIR No. 01/2019 of P/S Rajpora pertaining to killing of a policeman Sameer Ahmad.
Showkat Mir was instrumental in the recruitment of Azad Ahmad, Rafi Hassan & Suhail Ahmad who had recently joined the terrorist fold.
Pertinently with the efforts of Police and security forces, it was a clean operation. No collateral damage happened during the encounter.
Incriminating materials including arms & ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter. All these materials have been taken in the case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crime cases.
People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials if any.

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