LeT commander, aide killed in Srinagar gun battle

A top commander of Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was killed along with a local ultra in a gunfight with the security forces in the uptown Barzulla area of Srinagar on Monday.

Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbagh Singh identified the slain commander as Saifullah from Pakistan, who was involved in a series of attacks on security forces including the recent ones in Nowgam, Chadoora, and Kandizaal, Pampore. The other slain militant was identified as Irshad, a resident of south Kashmir's Pulwama.

The gunbattle erupted after a joint team of J&K police and paramilitary CRPF launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in Barzulla following ‘specific’ information about the presence of militants there, police said.

As the search party approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them which was retaliated, in which two ultras were killed, they said and added the militants were offered surrender as part of the standard operating procedure (SOP) “but they refused.”

This was the eighth encounter in Srinagar since May which comes as a reminder from the militants that its presence has increased in the city, which was not long ago was considered as a zero-militancy zone.

Asked whether the LeT and other militant outfits were trying to set their foot again in Srinagar, J&K police chief said, “Whenever any terror outfit tries to establish a base in Srinagar, we successfully corner the militant with the help of our intelligence and other sources.”

He said 18 militants including a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen have been killed in the city this year.

Asked how many militants were still active in Srinagar, Singh said only one ultra was active in the city “who is involved in a couple of attacks.” He asserted that they will soon bring him to justice.

Singh said that J&K police have lost its 19 men and CRPF 21 jawans this year in militancy-related incidents. “Army has lost 15 soldiers and the majority of them were killed on the LoC,” the police chief said.

Asked how many local youths were brought back after joining militancy this year, he said with the help of parents and hard work of police, 26 youth, who had joined militancy were reunited with their families.