Srinagar, May 16 : A top commmander of the Jaish-e-Muhammad was among the three militants slain in a gunfight with the security forces in southern Pulwama district, officials said.
On a credible input, a cordon & search operation was launched today morning by police and security forces at Dalipora area in District Pulwama, said a police spokesman.
As the Police & security forces were evacuating civilians from the neighbourhood area around the target house, the hiding militants fired indiscriminately, he said.
“In the process one Army Jawan Sepoy Sandeep attained martyrdom and one civilian Rayees Dar also lost his life,” said the spokesman.
After the security forces retaliated, three militants were killed in the ensuing encounter and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter.
They were identified as Naseer Pandith of Kareemabad Pulwama, Umar Mir of Shopian and from the incriminating material recovered from the site of encounter, one militant has been identified as a Pakistani namely Khalid.
According to the police records, the slain were affiliated with proscribed outfit JeM. “They were wanted by law for their complicity in a series of crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities,” he said.
As per police records, Naseer Pandith was involved in the killing of a policeman Mohammad Yaqoob Shah of Pulwama in 2018 on the eve of Eid. He was also involved in some weapon snatching incidents reported from the area besides several cases were registered against him for his criminal activities including case FIR No 30/15 & 277/14 under NDPS Act and case FIR No 25/16 pertaining to forgery, said the spokesman.
Similarly, Khalid who was operating as commander of JeM was involved in several attacks on security establishments and civilian atrocities in the area, he said.
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 cases.
