Srinagar, Dec 1 (UNI) A Jaish-e-Mohammed local commander, who was an expert of the improvised explosives device (IED), along with a Pakistani terrorist, were killed in an encounter in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Wednesday morning, police said.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police top brass termed the killing of Jaish commander Yasir Parray and Pakistani terrorist Furqan alias Ali Bahi, as a "big success".
J&K Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said the two were active for a long time and were involved in a series of violent incidents.
"Yasir Parray was active since 2019 and was behind an IED attack on the army that martyred two jawans and left many injured. He was an IED expert. Furqan was a Pakistani terrorist and he was working together with Parray. There are over a dozen FIRs registered against the duo. Their killing is a big success for security forces and for the families, who have been the victim of terror activities," Singh added.
The gunfight erupted at Qasbayar village in Rajpur Pulwama, when a joint team of forces last night launched a search operation in the area following an input about the presence of militants in the area. The Army said the operation was launched on input by the police.
"On receipt of information from Jammu and Kashmir Police about the presence of terrorists in the vicinity of Qasbayar village, the Indian Army and JKP launched a joint cordon and search operation on the intervening night of November 30 and December 1. The suspected house in the village was surrounded and cordoned off after midnight.., A call for surrender was given, however, the terrorists opened indiscriminate fire upon the security forces. Intermittent exchange of fire kept taking place and at around 0815 hrs, the two trapped terrorists were neutralised," Srinagar-based Defence Spokesman Col Emron Musavi said.
Two AK 47s, two pistols and other war-like stores were recovered from the encounter site, he added.
The spokesman said "Parray was known to be associated with various Pakistani terrorists and acted as a guide for bringing them into Kashmir."
"He (Parray) was a known associate of Pakistani terrorist Abu Saifullah alias Lambu, who had planned the Pulwama convoy attack on CRPF. He had orchestrated attacks on the security forces using an improvised explosive device at Arihal on June 17, 2019," the spokesman said.
On June 17, 2019, two Army men of 44 Rashtriya Rifles were killed and over a dozen were injured in an IED attack at Arihal area of Pulwama.
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