The Army launched an operation in Yaripora area of Kulgam following information about presence of terrorists in the area, a police official said. PTI file photo
A Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant, believed to be involved in the murder of Lieutenant Umar Fayaz, was killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir's Kulgam district on Saturday.
A police official said that Ishfaq Padder, a hardcore LeT militant was killed in a brief gunfight with a joint team of army's 62 Rashtriya Rifles and special operations group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police in Tantraypora village of Kulgam, 71 km from here.
He said that the operation was carried out after specific input about the presence of some LeT terrorists in the area. Padder is believed to have been involved in the killing of 22-year-old Lt Fayaz in May this year. The bullet-riddled body of the young Kashmiri army officer was found in Harmen area of Shopian in south Kashmir on May 10, hours after he was abducted by militants from Batpura village where he had gone to attend his cousin's wedding.
Meanwhile, clashes between stone pelting protesters and security forces broke out in various parts of Kashmir post-Bakrid prayers on Saturday as authorities placed separatist leaders under house arrest.
Reports said soon after Eid prayers, stone pelting youth clashed with security forces in Anantnag town of south Kashmir. Reports of similar clashes were also received from Kulgam, Sopore and some areas of Pulwama districts. The police used tear gas to disperse c the owd at some of these places.
Police didn't allow moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar, who is also head priest of Kashmir to deliver traditional Eid sermon at Eidgah in old city by placing him under house arrest. Hardliner Syed Ali Geelani was also barred from offering Eid prayers while pro-independence JKLF chief Yasin Malik was arrested on Friday evening.
For security reasons, several ministers, senior civil and police officers offered prayers at the district police lines masjid in Srinagar. In the backdrop of lynching of a senior police officer by a mob outside the Jama Masjid in Srinagar in June, Jammu and Kashmir Police had advised its personnel and VIPs not to offer Eid prayers in public places.