Most wanted terrorist among three killed in encounter in J&K

NEW DELHI: In an encounter with security forces, three terrorists were killed in Kashmir's Kulgam district. One of the dead is on NIA's list of most wanted terrorists.

Basit Ahmed Dar, a resident of Redwani Payeen, commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) offshoot group, The Resistant Front (TRF) was killed in the shooting. The other two deceased have been identified as Momin Gulzar and Fahim Ahmed Baba. Basit Ahmed Dar was involved in the killings of local residents and security personnel.

"It's a big achievement for us as they were involved in 18 killings. These killings include those of security personnel, civilians and minorities,” Inspector General of Police Kashmir V K Birdi said.

The security forces intensified search operations in the Redwani Payeen area of Kulgam in Kashmir after an Air Force officer was martyred and four others were injured in Poonch district on May 4. The CCTV footage of the three terrorists behind the attack was released yesterday.

Those in the footage have been identified as former Pakistan Army commando Illyas, Pakistani terrorist Hadoon and Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abu Hamza. They reportedly used US-made M4 and Russian-made AK-47. A reward of Rs 10 lakh has been announced for those who provide information about them.