Crackdown is on: after Hizbul, Jaish and Lashkar

Barely 24 hours after four top commanders of local militant outfits Hizbul Mujahideen and Al-Badr were killed, security forces notched another success on Saturday. Six top militants of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad were killed in Bandipora in an encounter which also claimed three Army lives.

Acting on specific information, police forces, accompanied by troops of 3 Rajput Rifles laid a cordon around Wayen Forests, 30 km from Bandipora town early today. As the joint operation party was encircling the hideout where some armed militants were hiding, they came under heavy fire. In the encounter which lasted for over 10 hours, six top militants and three Army personnel were killed.

SSP, Baramulla, Muneer Khan said a search operation was on to flush out any militants hiding in the forest area, known to be the hideout of foreign militants, especially Lashkar and Jaish cadres.

‘‘On information, an operation was launched in the morning in Wayen Forests. As the troops were zeroing on the militant hideout, they tried to escape. Their attempts to break the cordon were foiled,’’ said Khan.