Four security personnel, including an officer each from the CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir police, were injured in the encounter, according to a top CRPF officer
Averting a major fidayeen attack ahead of the biannual 'darbar' move (shifting of government headquarters), security forces killed three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, including a suspected Pakistani, in a fierce encounter at Chattabal in the heart of the summer capital city of Srinagar on Saturday.
Four security personnel, including an officer each from the CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir police, were injured in the encounter, according to a top CRPF officer.
Police said that acting on credible leads, the Srinagar police, along with CRPF, launched a cordon and search operation in Chattabal area on Friday night.
"As the searches were intensified, the hiding terrorists fired upon the joint search party. The fire was retaliated and, in the ensuing encounter, three terrorists were killed", said a police spokesperson. Among the injured are an assistant commandant of the CRPF and deputy superintendent of police. Three photo journalists were injured in subsequent clashes.
The slain terrorists has been identified as Fayaz Ahmad Hamal of Khanqah-e-Moula at Fateh Kadal in old Srinagar city and Showkat Ahmad Tak of Panzgam, Awantipura in south Kashmir's Pulwama.
A large quantity of arms and ammunition — including AK 47 rifles, magazines, UBGL grenades, wire cutter, medical kit and matrix sheets — were recovered from the terrorists, indications that they belonged to the outlawed LeT.
Inspector General of CRPF, Ravideep Sahi, told DNA that a major tragedy has been averted because the terrorists were planning a fidayeen attack in the days to come. "The way they were armed indicated the ultras were most likely planning a fidayeen attack, considering that the 'darbar' is set to move. A major tragedy has been averted," he said.
Sahi said there was no collateral damage and the terrorists were holed up in an under construction house. "We had intelligence inputs about the terrorists. The first contact with them was at 4 am, when our assistant commandant was injured. Then the searches began and, at 6.15 am, firing started and soon turned into a full-fledged encounter. By noon, all the three ultras were neutralised," Sahi said.
Given the congested nature of the area, the operation was conducted in the most calibrated manner. Security forces used under barrel grenade launchers to dig holes in walls to neutralise the terrorists while avoiding collateral damage.
"I thank the people of Srinagar... the situation was by and large under control. There was no big problem at the encounter site", said Sahi.
Later, terrorists offered gun salute to the three slain ultras at Eidgah graveyard. It was after a long time that terrorists have offered gun salute in Srinagar city. Usually they surface on funerals in south Kashmir to offer gun salutes to slain ultras.
This is the second encounter in Srinagar city in the last three months. On February 13, two LeT terrorists were killed after a 30-hour encounter in Karan Nagar area of Srinagar. A CRPF man was killed and a cop injured in the encounter.
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