Express News Service
SRINAGAR: Two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday evening. The militants were involved in the March 29 attack on the Municipal office in Sopore in which two BJP councilors and a police officer were murdered.
A police official said a joint contingent of police, CRPF and army launched a search operation at Nathipora area of Sopore in Baramulla district in the afternoon after receiving inputs about presence of militants there.
He said that after plugging off all the possible escape routes, the security men zeroed-in on the target house, where the militants were hiding.
Finding themselves trapped in the security forces cordon, militants fired on the troops to breach the cordon.
The security men retaliated and in the ensuing gunfight, which continued till late evening, two Lashkar militants were killed, the police official said.
The deceased militants were identified as a local militant Wasim Ahmed Lone R/o Sopore and a foreign militant Hamas alias Asrar alias Saria, who was active since March 2018 in north Kashmir.
According to a police spokesman, both the slain militants were involved in several planning and executing of attacks on security establishments.
“Hamas was also the mastermind of March 29 militant attack on municipal office Sopore alonwith a local militant Mudasir Pandit alias Maaz,” he said.
In the March 29 militant attack, two BJP Municipal councillors and a policeman were killed.
The police spokesman said an AK-47 rifle, 1 Insas rifle and other incriminating materials were recovered from the encounter site.
“The search operation is going on,” he said.
