A Pakistani militant affiliated with Lashker-e-Toiba outfit was killed in an encounter with security forces in Harwan area on the outskirts of Srinagar city on Sunday.
Police identified the slain militant as Saifulla alias Abu Khalid of Karachi, Pakistan, who was active in Kashmir for the last five years.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the slain militant had infiltrated into Kashmir back in 2016 and was through all these years active in the general area of Harwan. “He was involved in several terrorism-related crimes,” he said.
The police said the encounter broke out after security forces launched a cordon-and-search-operation (CASO) in Harwan, following specific inputs about the presence of militants in the area. The encounter, which brought down Saifulla, took place during the night.
According to the Police, three Pakistani militants were killed within Srinagar city limits within the past 33 days. “They were involved in several terror crimes including attacks on police, security forces, and also connected with civilian killings,” IGP Kumar said.
Srinagar which was by-and-large militancy-free till the start of 2020 has emerged as a hotspot of militant activities in Kashmir this year. According to official figures 20 militants were killed in Srinagar from May to December 2020 in nine encounters.
In 2021, J&K’s summer capital saw around 21 encounters and shoot-outs in and around the city in which 35 people, including seven policemen, 15 militants and 13 civilians were killed till date.
Five militant recruits from Srinagar were killed in separate gunfights this year, official figures reveal. Of the ten wanted militants listed by the police in March this year, five were from Srinagar.
IGP Kashmir says the violence in Srinagar shows that Pakistan was hell-bent on disturbing the peace in the Valley, especially in the city.
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