Kashmir: terrorist involved in civilian killings killed in Shopian

A Lashkar-e-Toiba militant involved in the killing of a carpenter from Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur recently was among two ultras killed, while three security personnel were injured in an encounter in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said. IGP, Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar, said one of the slain ultras has been identified as Adil Wani, who was involved in the killing of the carpenter Sageer Ansari on Saturday last.

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Giving details of the encounter, officials said security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Dragad area of Shopian district following information about presence of militants there. The search operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire on the security forces who retaliated.

The officials said two ultras of The Resistance Front (TRF) , a shadow outfit of Lashkar-e-Toiba, have been killed while three security force personnel sustained injuries in the operation.

In a tweet, the IGP said, "One of the killed #terrorists has been #identified as Adil Ah Wani, active since 7/2020... So far, 15 terrorists have been #neutralised in 2 weeks".

"Killed #terrorist Adil Wani was #involved in #killing of a poor carpenter namely Sakir Ah Wani S/O Gulam Kadir Wani R/O Saharanpur UP. Adil Wani was District Commander Shopian of proscribed #terror outfit LeT(TRF)," Kumar tweeted. However, in another tweet, the Kashmir Zone Police clarified that the name of the carpenter was Sageer Ahmad Ansari.

"Kindly read, Sageer Ahmad Ansari S/O Bindo Hussain Ansari R/O Saharanpur, UP. Inconvenience regretted.@JmuKmrPolice," it said in the tweet.

Ansari was gunned down on Saturday in a south Kashmir village where he had been working as a carpenter for the last couple of years.

Kashmir has witnessed a spate of targeted civilian killings that has triggered an exodus of migrant labourers who are queuing up outside bus and train stations to return home.