J-K: Two Hizbul militants killed in Valley encounter

Police said after they received inputs about the presence of militants, a cordon and search operation was launched jointly by J&K Police and security forces in Pulwama district’s Sharshali area of Khrew.

Police said that during the search operation, militants fired at the forces, triggering an encounter.

Police said that a “huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including rifles” were recovered from the encounter site.

A police statement identified the two militants as Adnan Ahmad Lone, a resident of Braw Bandina in Awantipora and Adil Bilal Bhat, a resident of Malangpora in Pulwama. Lone, according to J&K police was HM district commander for Pulwama.

Police said that both militants were wanted for their involvement “in a series of terror crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities”.

According to police records, Lone was one of the top commanders of HM and “had a history of terror crimes since 2015”. Lone had earlier escaped from an encounter site in Srinagar. Before joining militant ranks in 2015, Lone was an engineering student.

About Bhat, police said that he was also Naikoo’s associate. A police statement said that he was also involved in several terror crimes and also figured in killing of a policeman in Awantipora in October 2017.