New Delhi:
In a major breakthrough, one of the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) most wanted terrorists and LeT commander was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kashmir's Kulgam district on Wednesday evening.
Three terrorists were killed in the gunfight that broke out in Redwani Payeen area of south Kashmir's Kulgam after security forces launched a search operation late on Monday night.
Basit Ahmed Dar, a resident of Redwani Payeen, was also the commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) offshoot group The Resistance Front (TRF) and was involved in the killing of civilians and security personnel. Besides Dar, two LeT terrorists identified as Momin Gulzar and Fahim Ahmed Baba were also killed during the operation.
“It's a big achievement for us as they were involved in 18 murders. These killings include those of security personnel, civilians and minorities,” Inspector General of Police Kashmir VK Birdi told NDTV.
Security forces have intensified search operations in the Union territory, days after an Indian Air Force officer was killed and four others injured when their convoy was attacked in Poonch district on May 4.
CCTV footage of three terrorists believed to have been involved in the attack was released on Wednesday.
The three have been identified as Illiyas, a former Pakistan Army commando, a Pakistani terrorist named Hadoon (or Hadun), and Abu Hamza, the code name of the commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba.