Were involved in attacks on forces

Three Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants were killed in a joint operation by security forces in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials in the security establishment said the forces launched a cordon and search operation at Vailoo in Komernag area of the district early on Tuesday following inputs about the presence of militants.

“As the presence of militants was ascertained, they were given an opportunity to surrender. However, the militants fired indiscriminately at the search party, which too retaliated, leading to the encounter,” a senior security official said.

The official said the joint teams of the forces rescued all civilians trapped in the area and halted the operation till the time all of them were safely evacuated.

“After ensuring all civilians are safe, the operation was resumed and all the terrorists were eliminated. The bodies of the militants were retrieved from the encounter site,” the official said.

The slain militants were identified as Ilyas Ahmad Dar (alias Sameer), Ubaid Shafi (alias Abdullah) and Aqib Ahmad Lone (alias Sahil), the official said.

According to police records, the killed terrorists were “linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT and were part of the groups involved in several terror cases, including attacks on security forces and security establishments”, the official added.

Courtesy: The Tribune: 11th May, 2021