Srinagar, May 10: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday said that an imminent threat to Amarnath Yatra, beginning next month, has been neutralised with the killing of two militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Security forces shot dead two militants in an ongoing gun battle at Kreeri in Dooru area of Anantnag.
Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said the encounter site was very close to the National Highway and an “imminent threat to Yatra has been neutralised
“This encounter is important in 2 aspects: 1st, it is the same group of terrorists who escaped from Watnad encounter on 16/4/22 in which we lost 1 soldier. 2nd, the encounter site is very close to NHW & imminent threat to NHW & #Yatra neutralised,” IGP Kashmir was quoted in a police tweet.
The Amarnath Yatra was scheduled to begin from June 30 and it was physically taking place after two years. This year’s Amarnath pilgrimage will be much bigger as 6-8 lakh pilgrims were expected to perform the annual yatra at the Cave shrine of Amarnath in Pahalgam area of Anantnag district.
The encounter at Kreeri in Dooru of Anantnag erupted, when joint teams of forces launched a cordon and search operation, following an input about the presence of militants in the area.
This is the fourth gunfight in Kashmir this month. In previous gunfights five militants including two top commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed.
On May 6, Kashmir’s oldest surviving militant Mohammad Ashraf Khan alias Moulvi was killed in a gun battle, along with two of his associates on the Amarnath Yatra route in Anantnag district.