Srinagar, July 16 2021: Acting on a specific information generated by Srinagar Police about presence of terrorists in Alamdar Colony Danmar area of Srinagar, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the said area.
During the search operation as the presence of terrorists got ascertained they were given repeated opportunities to surrender, however, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter in the wee hours.
In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists of proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and self claimed The Resistance Front (TRF) were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. They have been identified as Irfan Ahmad Sofi son of Nazir Ahmad Sofi and Bilal Ahmad Bhat son of Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, both residents of Natipora, Srinagar and active since December 2020.
It is pertinent to mention that recently self claimed terrorist outfit TRF shared on social media that terrorists Irfan and Bilal had left TRF and joined Islaamic State J&K (ISJK). As per police records, both the killed terrorists were part of groups involved in several terror crimes cases including attacks on police and security forces (SF) along with civilian atrocities.
Both the killed terrorists executed a series of attacks on policemen, SFs and civilians which include killing of a Personal Security Officer (PSO) of People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader at Natipora on 14 December 2020, attack on a Road Opening Party (ROP) of CRPF 73 Battallion in Lawaypora resulting in deaths of two CRPF Jawans on 25 March 2021.
Moreover, on 17 June 2021 they killed an on-leave police official Javid Ahmad near his residence at Saidpora and on 22 June 2021 killed Inspector Parvez Ahmad at Menganwari Nowgam while he was on his way to offer prayers in local Masjid. They were also involved in killing of a civilian Umer Nazir Bhat at his shop in Main Chowk Habba Kadal on 23 June 2021.
It is pertinent to mention that they were also involved in a series of grenade attacks as well as petrol bomb attacks on police/SF in City Srinagar. On 7 May 2021, they carried out a grenade attack on joint party of police/CRPF at Nawabazar area of Srinagar in which five CRPF jawans and a civilian got injured.
On 26 June 2021, they carried out another grenade attack on joint party of police/CRPF at Barbarshah in which 01 civilian got killed and three civilians got critically injured. They also carried out grenade attack on PP Urdu Bazar on 5 March 2021 and petrol bomb attack on bunker of SSB at Mehjoor Nagar Band on 26 April 2021.
Both the killed terrorists have been instrumental in motivating and recruiting the youth to join terror folds in Srinagar and its adjoining areas. Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including an AK-47 rifle, a pistol and four grenades were recovered from the site of encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crimes.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir congratulated the joint forces of police and CRPF for the big success that led to the elimination of two most wanted terrorists who were wanted by the law for their involvement in several terror crime cases. IGP Kashmir also said that during the year 2021, so far 78 terrorists have been neutralized in Kashmir valley and most of the terrorists were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT i.e, 39 out of 78, followed by Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), Al-Badr, Jaish-e-Mohammed (J-e-M) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AuGH).
In this connection, police have registered a case under relevant sections of law and investigation has been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared off of all the explosive materials, if any.
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