Top LeT commander, aide dead

Militants kill RDD official; civilian succumbs

SRINAGAR: Two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants including the outfit’s operational commander were killed in an overnight gunfight at Samboora area of Pampore in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday.
Meanwhile, a civilian who sustained injuries in an explosion near the encounter site on Thursday has also succumbed. Yaseen Rather and three others had sustained injuries when a shell exploded in the debris of a house at Sirhama on Thursday where two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces, a police official said. Rather succumbed to injuries at SMHS hospital here, the official said.
In another incident, a Block Development Council employee was shot dead by militants in Shopian district. The militants fired upon Sabzar Ahmad Naikoo in his native village at Nildoora in Shopian, injuring him critically, a police official said.
He said Naikoo was referred to a hospital here for treatment but was declared dead on arrival. This is the third killing by militants in less than a week. A Block Development Council member was shot dead in Budgam district last Wednesday, and an advocate was killed in Hawal area of the city on Thursday.
Pampore encounter: Acting on a specific lead, a joint team of police, army’s 50 RR and 110 battalion of CRPF laid a siege at Samboora in Pampore Sunday evening. “When forces zeroed in on the house, where the militants were hiding, they fired indiscriminately triggered a fierce gunbattle,” a police official said.
He said that the firing lasted till late hours on Sunday and due to the dark, search operation was suspended. “Militants made several abortive bids to escape but failed to the multiple layers of cordon put in place by the joint teams of security forces,” said the official.
A police spokesman said that in the ensuing encounter two militants were killed however, the search operation was suspended due to darkness and the whole area was put under strict cordon.
“In the wee hours (on Monday), the search operation was resumed and the bodies of both the slain militants were retrieved from the site of encounter. They have been identified as Aijaz Ahmad Reshi and Sajad Ahmad Sofi both residents of Awantipora affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT,” the police spokesman said.
He said that as per police records, Aijaz Reshi was operational commander of LeT and was active since May 2016. “He was involved in many crimes and civilian atrocities. He was involved in recruiting innocent youth into militancy besides, was also providing shelter and logistic support to the active militants operating in the area and transportation of militants to carry out terrorist attacks,” the police spokesman said.
He was involved in Fristbal Pampore militant attack and Kadlabal Pampore militant attack besides, transportation of militant to carry out EDI militant attack. “Similarly, Sajad was involved in many crimes and civilian atrocities. Both the killed were part of groups responsible for carrying out militant attacks. Many cases stands registered against both for their militant activities,” the police statement said, adding that keeping in view the prevailing pandemic due to COVID-19 and to ensure the safety of people from inherent risk of contracting the infection, the bodies of the killed militants shall be sent to Baramulla for burial after completion of all medico-legal formalities. “The nearest family members of the slain militants shall be allowed to participate in the last rites,” the police spokesman said.
He said that incriminating materials including arms & ammunition 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 crimes,” the police statement said.