3 Army Jawans Killed In Encounter With Terrorists In Kashmir’s Kulgam

KULGAM: Three army jawans, who were injured during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Friday, succumbed to their injuries, officials said. “The three injured jawans succumbed to their injuries. Search operations are ongoing,” the Army said in a statement. The jawans were undergoing treatment at a hospital, Jammu and Kashmir Police informed on Friday.

Earlier in the day, officials said the encounter broke out in the high reaches of the Halan forest area in Kulgam district. “Army and Kulgam Police are carrying out the operation. Three jawans were injured and shifted to a hospital for treatment,” an official said earlier. Earlier, on Friday, the Kashmir Zone Police informed that the encounter had broken out in the Halan forest area of Kulgam district, adding that the Army and Kulgam Police were on the job.

“An encounter has started at high reaches of Halan forest area of #Kulgam district. Army & Kulgam Police are on the job. Further details shall follow,” the Kashmir Zone Police stated earlier in a tweet.

In separate development, Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday claimed to have arrested three terror associates linked with banned terror outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), from the Natipora area of Srinagar. The police informed through a statement that the trio was “planning to carry out terrorist activities” in Srinagar city.

Police recovered 3 hand grenades, 10 pistol rounds, 25 AK-47 rounds and other incriminating materials from the accused. The arrests were made by a team of Srinagar Police. Further, according to the police, the arrested terrorists were identified as Imran Ahmad Najar, a resident of Bulbul Bagh, Baramulla; Waseem Ahmad Matta, a resident of Qamarwari, Srinagar; and Wakeel Ahmad Bhat from Pazalpora, Bijbehara.

“A small team of Srinagar Police arrested three terrorist associates linked with proscribed terror outfit TRF, an offshoot of proscribed terror outfit LeT in Natipora area of Srinagar,” the police said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of Srinagar police put up a checkpoint at Hannibal Natipora and arrested the trio, the statement informed further. 

Wakeel Ahmad Bhat was earlier an active terrorist linked with the proscribed terrorist outfit Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) and was lodged in jail for two years before being released from Central Jail on bail, police said. Police said during preliminary investigation, they came to know that the trio had collected explosives and ammunition from active terrorists of TRF for “carrying out terrorist activities in Srinagar city”.

A case under sections 3 and 4 of the Explosives Act, Section 25 of the Arms Act and sections 18, 23 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was registered at Chanapora police station against the three terror associates. “Further investigation is underway in the case,” police said.