Lashkar commander among 3 killed in Srinagar, Anantnag gunbattles; four CRPF, police personnel injured

According to the police, the foreign militant killed in the encounter, Usman, had been active in Srinagar for the last few months. The IGP said that he was involved in the killing of inspector Masroor Wani, who was shot in the Eidgah area of Srinagar while playing cricket on October 29 last year. He died at AIIMS, Delhi in December.

In a statement earlier in the day, the Jammu and Kashmir police said that “a cordon and search operation in Khanyar has resulted in an exchange of fire”, and that “police and security forces are on the job”.

In a separate encounter, two terrorists were killed in Anantnag district of South Kashmir. Of the two killed, one was a foreigner and the other a local, officials said. Their group affiliation is yet to be ascertained, officials said.

According to the Army, “terrorists opened indiscriminate fire” on their column. “Own troops effectively retaliated, resulting in elimination of two terrorists,” the Army said.

In light of the attacks, Nasir Aslam Wani, advisor to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, said that the security grid needs to be strengthened. “The Unified Command is currently headed by the Lieutenant Governor. We have been repeatedly stating that things cannot work here with dual control.”

“These repeated attacks need to be stopped,” he said, referring to security forces being targeted.

On Friday, two migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh had been shot at by militants in Budgam. Both survived and are being treated at a Srinagar hospital for gunshot wounds.

The Army also said that late evening on November 1, suspicious movement was spotted in the general area Panar of Bandipora, and “on being challenged, terrorists opened indiscriminate fire and escaped into the jungle”. Search operations are ongoing in the area, the Army said.