A militant affiliated with the Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK), who was involved in the recent killing of a police officer, was gunned down by security forces in an overnight encounter in Bijbehara area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Sunday.
The ISJK is an affiliate outfit of the IS active in Jammu and Kashmir as part of its broader Khorasan (Islamic State – Khorasan Province or IS-K) branch in South Asia and Central Asia.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar identified the slain militant as 21-year-old Faheem Bhat, who had recently joined the ISJK. Bhat, who was a BA student, was reported to be missing since December 23.
Police said he was involved in the killing of an on-duty assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Mohammad Ashraf Dar on December 22 outside the Bijbehara police station.
Reports said the encounter broke out on Saturday night after security forces launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in K-Kalan, Srigufwara in Bijbehara following specific inputs about the presence of a militant in the area.
A police official said the trapped militant was given ample opportunities to surrender. However, he denied and instead fired indiscriminately upon the search party which retaliated leading to an encounter in which he was killed.
In the last two days, six militants have been killed in four separate encounters in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Shopian and Pulwama.
So far this year, 166 militants have been killed in the Valley, of which 143 were locals and 23 Pakistanis. In 2020, the number of militants killed in the Valley stood at 195. According to official estimates over 200 militants were still active in the Valley.
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