Cop-turned-terrorist among Lashkar duo killed in Shopian encounter

SRINAGAR: Two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, one of them a former policeman and the other a self-styled commander, were killed in an encounter in south Kashmir’s Shopian district early Monday. In a separate operation, security forces busted a terrorist hideout and arrested five LeT operatives in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.
The slain duo was identified as cop-turned-terrorist Ishfaq Ahmad Dar and Majid Iqbal Bhat, both from Shopian, an official confirmed.
Active since 2017, Iqbal was instrumental in planning and executing terror attacks on security establishments, killing civilians, and indoctrinating local youth into militancy. “He was also involved in killing four police personnel at Zainpora in 2018, and murdering two non-local drivers in Shopian’s Chittrigam in 2019,” the official added.
Based on intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists in Shopian’s Check-i-Sidique Khan area, a joint team of the Army’s 34RR, J&K Police and CRPF’s 178Bn launched a cordon-and-search operation there. On spotting the security forces, the holed-in terrorists opened fire at the search party, triggering an encounter in which the LeT duo was killed, IGP (Kashmir range) Vijay Kumar said.
Arms and ammunition — including two AK-47 rifles and eight magazines — besides other incriminating material were recovered from the site of the gunfight, police said.
Later in the day, a joint team of Army’s 53RR, CRPF’s 43Bn and Budgam Police arrested a Lashkar operative, identified as Mohammad Younis Mir of Choon, Budgam, and recovered arms and ammunition — including a Chinese pistol, one magazine, and eight live pistol rounds — besides other incriminating items from his possession.
Based on information revealed by Mir during questioning, the joint team busted a terrorist hideout in the district and arrested four more LeT affiliates — identified as Imran Zahoor Ganie, Umer Farooq Wani, Faizan Qayoom Ganie and Shahnawaz Ahmad Mir — all residents of Budgam. Arms and ammunition, including two grenades, were recovered from their possession.
The LeT operatives were involved in providing shelter and logistic support to active terrorists of the outfit, besides transporting arms across Budgam. They were in constant touch with their Pakistan-based handlers and local commanders in Kashmir through social media, police said.
Budgam Police have registered a case under relevant sections of law in this regard. An investigation is underway.