2 militants, CRPF soldier killed on Srinagar outskirts

Third militant captured alive: Police

Srinagar: Two militants and a CRPF soldier were killed on Wednesday in a brief shoot-out on the outskirts of Srinagar. The third ‘militant’ who tried to escape from the spot, however, was captured alive and is admitted in a hospital.
The firefight erupted after CRPF soldiers deployed at Lawaypora on Srinagar-Baramulla highway signalled a two-wheeler to stop for checking.
As soon they stopped, pillion rider opened fire on the soldiers ensuing into a gunfight.
According to a police official, around 11:30 am, militants opened fire on the forces at checking point established by forces. In a brief exchange of fire, two militants were slain while a CRPF constable Ramesh Rajan of CRPF 73 battalion was also killed, he said.
The slain militants were identified as Khateeb Ahmad Dass of Bijbehara and Zia-ur-Rehman Wani of Aarath Budgam. Das is brother-in-law of slain militant Mugees Mir of Srinagar’s Parimpora and was affiliated with Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir.
Wani, according to police, was affiliated with LeT and was part of groups involved in carrying out attacks on guard posts, security deployments and several other grenade attacks besides civilian killings. “He had history of terror crime records since 2018. Several terror crime cases were registered against him including case FIR No. 73/2018 pertaining to decamping of weapons from the residential guard post of erstwhile Congress MLC Muzaffar Parray at Jawahar Nagar Srinagar,” a police spokesperson added.
Kashmir inspector general of police Vijay Kumar said that third militant who was captured militant was identified as Umar Fayaz of Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir.
The deployment of government forces has been stepped up in the Valley ahead of death anniversaries of Afzal Guru, who was hanged on February 9 in 2013, and JKLF founder Maqbool Bhat on February 11 in 1984.
“This operation was successful due to the alertness of the forces,” said Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh.
Soon after the shoot-out, forces were seen carrying out searches of commuters and checking their antecedents at several places in the city. Sniffer dogs were also pressed into service during frisking on roads.

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