Two LeT militants killed in Srinagar encounter

Two militants affiliated with the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit were killed in a nocturnal encounter with security forces in the Rainawari area of old city Srinagar on Wednesday.

A police official said the encounter broke out in the congested Rainawari area at around 1 am after police and paramilitary CRPF personnel launched a search operation in the area.

The trapped militants were given an opportunity to surrender, but they opened fire on the search party and in retaliatory action, both the ultras who were hiding were killed, he said.

Rayees Ahmad Bhat
Credit: J&K Police

Kashmir police chief Vijay Kumar identified one of the slain militants as Rayees Ahmad Bhat who was a categorised local ultra of the LeT. He was carrying a press identity card, “which indicates a clear case of misuse of media,” he said.

Bhat, according to the police, was earlier a journalist and was running an online news portal ‘Valley News Service’ in Anantnag. “He joined terrorist ranks in August 2021 and two FIRs have been already registered against him for terror crimes,” police said.

The second slain militant, as per police, has been identified as Hilal Ahmad Rah of Bijbehara and was a C-category ultra.

There has been a spurt in militant activities in Srinagar in the last two years. A few dozen civilians, policemen, and militants have been killed in the city and its outskirts in the last two years.

Besides active militants, police and the Army believe that a large number of ‘hybrid’ ultras are present in Srinagar and most of the attacks against security personnel and civilians are being carried out by them. ‘Hybrid’ militants are not listed as militants, but radicalised and trained enough to carry out terror attacks and then slip back into routine life.

On March 15, three militants affiliated with The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the LeT were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Nowgam area on the outskirts of Srinagar city.

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