Srinagar, April 22: The nearly 40-hour long gunfight between militants and joint team of police and army ended on Friday with the killing of three militants and injuries to four army soldiers, including an officer, and a policeman.
“Only 03 dead bodies of (militants) recovered from the encounter site. Identified as Yusuf Dar alias Kantru, Hilal Sheikh alias Hanzalla and Faisal Dar, all affiliated with LeT. Arms & ammunition recovered. Operation over,” police said in a tweet.
A police officer told GNS that three bodies recovered from the encounter site included two yesterday and one, that of Hilal, today.
The bodies recovered yesterday included that of the top commander of Lashker-e-Toiba, Yousuf Kantroo, who according to police had been active from last 22 years.
The encounter had ensued at Malwah area of the district around amid night on April 21 after a joint team of Police alongwith Army (62RR) launched a joint cordon and search operation in area.
“During the search operation as the joint search party reached the suspected spot, the hiding (militants) fired indiscriminately upon them in which four (04) soldiers including one officer received minor injuries. The fire was effectively retaliated, leading to an encounter,” a police spokesperson said in a statement to GNS, adding, “Later on Baramulla Police headed by SSP Baramulla also joined in the operation. One policeman from Baramulla district also got injured in the encounter who was later on shifted to Army’s base hospital in Srinagar.”
In the ensuing encounter, three militants of LeT including outfit’s commander Yousuf Kantroo, one of longest surviving militants, were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter.
