Four terrorists, including one who had infiltrated from Pakistan, were killed on Sunday in two separate encounters in the Kashmir valley. All three terrorists of mixed groups holed in a house in downtown Srinagar were killed, while a Pakistani terrorist was eliminated in Kulgam and one of his accomplices managed to escape.
What was a matter of concern was that among the weapons recovered from the killed terrorists was a US made sophisticated M4 assault rifle of the type that was being flown to India in the Pakistani hexacopter that was on Saturday shot down by the BSF near a border post in the Kathua district of Jammu. Terrorists had earlier been using AK and INSAS rifles, but now more lethal M-4 rifles were being recovered from them.
One of the terrorist eliminated in the encounter in Srinagar was involved in the recent attack at a BSF post near Ganderbal where 2 jawans were martyred.
J&K DGP Dilbag Singh confirmed killing of all 3 terrorists in downtown Srinagar. The operation was launched early this morning by the J&K Police and CRPF following credible input about presence of terrorists in a house in the Zadibal locality, said the DGP.
In another joint operation undertaken by the Police, Army and CRPF, on a credible input at Lakadpora in Kulgam, security forces killed a Pakistani terrorist of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) who was active in South Kashmir for the past few years. Another holed up terrorist of JeM escaped after some fire fighting and throwing his weapon outside the target area.
Two weapons, including an AK rifle and an M-4 US made rifle have been recovered. The M-4 is the same make and model which was recovered after shooting down a Pakistani drone in Kathua district. It is to mention that the weapons brought in by the drone were to further reach a JeM Pakistani terrorist known as Ali Bhai who is currently active in South Kashmir, said Dilbag Singh.
The terrorist killed in Kulgam has been identifed as Tayab Waleed @ Imran Bhai, a resident of Pakistani Punjab.
Panic spread in the downtown when the encounter began in Zadibal between the terrorists and a joint team of the Quick Action Team (QAT) of J&K Police and 28 and 115 battalions of CRPF. Parents of the holed up terrorists were brought to the spot to appeal them to surrender. However, the terrorists turned down the appeal of their parents and opened fire at the security forces. All the three local Kashmiri terrorists were shot down amidst restraint by the police and CRPF that prevented any collateral damage.