Three separate encounters in Kashmir; 4 militants killed, 1 arrested

Srinagar: Four terrorists, including a Pakistani commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), were killed and one ultra was arrested in three separate encounters with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Saturday.

The encounters took place in Pulwama, Ganderbal and Kupwara districts of the Kashmir valley, a police official said.

He said two JeM terrorists, including a Pakistani national, were killed in an overnight encounter in the Chewaklan area of Pulwama in south Kashmir.

"Pakistani terrorist killed in Pulwama encounter identified as JeM commander Kamaal Bhai @ Jatt. He was active since 2018 in Pulwama-Shopian area & involved in several terror crimes & civilian atrocities," Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said in a tweet.

In another gunfight between the forces and terrorists in the Serch area of Ganderbal district in central Kashmir in the early hours of Saturday, a member of proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was killed, the official said.

He said another encounter broke out in the Nechama Rajwar area of Handwara in north Kashmir's Kupwara district on Saturday morning, in which an LeT terrorist was killed.

Kumar said the security forces had launched anti-terrorism operations at four-five locations on Friday night.

"We had launched joint #operations at 4-5 locations yesterday night. So far 2 terrorists of JeM including 01 #Pakistani killed in #Pulwama, 1 terrorist of LeT killed each in #Ganderbal & #Handwara. Encounters over in Handwara & Pulwama," he wrote on Twitter.

"One terrorist has also been arrested alive," the IGP said.