Anantnag Encounter Ends After 7 Days, LeT Commander Among 2 Terrorists Killed

An LeT commander among two terrorists has been gunned as the fierce military operations spanning a week's time came to an end on Tuesday.

Indian Army personnel as they strategise their plan to flush out terrorists in Jammu Kashmir's Anantnag ( Image Source :Nayanima Basu )

After a fierce gunfight that continued for a week, an LeT commander was gunned down among the two terrorists neutralised in one of Jammu and Kashmir's longest anti-militancy operations that has claimed the lives of three officers and a soldier. While the body of LeT commander Uzhair Khan has been recovered, the body of the other is yet to be found and a search is on for the same. Top police officer Vijay Kumar has also advised the public to not go into the affected area.

"The search operation will continue as many areas are still left...We would appeal to the public to not go there...We had the information about 2-3 terrorists. It's possible that we find the third body somewhere that's why we will complete the search operation. We found the body of the LeT Commander and retrieved it, we could also spot another body...We're looking for the third body," ADGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar on anti-terror operation at Anantnag.

Colonel Manpreet Singh, commanding officer, of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Major Ashish Dhonchak and Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Humayun Bhat lost their lives last Wednesday. 

Body Of Missing Soldier Found After 6 Days

Two bodies were found in the dense forest region of the Gadole region on Monday, one of which was of a soldier who went missing last Wednesday during an encounter with militants. The identity of the other is yet to be ascertained, said an official while talking to the news agency PTI. Police officials have received information that two to three terrorists are trapped in the forest area.

The security forces are using drones and helicopters for surveillance of the dense forest area with several cave-like hideouts where the terrorists are believed. During the search, drone footage showed a charred body near one of the terrorist hideouts that was destroyed during the operation. Several cave-like hideouts are being examined where terrorists are believed to have been holed up since Wednesday.

The search was extended to the neighbouring area of Posh Kreeri on Sunday as a precautionary measure in order to ensure that the terrorists don't slip into the civilian areas, reported PTI. 

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha while addressing a gathering on late Sunday evening said that every drop of blood of the martyrs will be avenged and the terrorist handlers will have to pay a heavy price for the same. Sinha during his address said, "We have complete faith in our soldiers. The entire nation stands in solidarity with the jawans."

Several top brass officials of the security grid in Kashmir such as the Director General of Police (DGP) and General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Army's 15 Corps are monitoring the operations, PTI reported.