SRINAGAR: A three-day anti-terror operation in
Shopian’s Rawalpora village came to a close on Monday with the killing of Jaish-e-Mohammad district commander Sajad Afghani alias Wilayat Lone, a day after his accomplice was gunned down at the site, confirmed IGP (Kashmir Range)
Vijay Kumar.
Terming the killing of Afghani — instrumental in luring Kashmiri youth into terrorism, especially in Shopian — a “major success”, the IGP lauded security forces for taking extreme care in ensuring no collateral damage in the operation.
As a precautionary measure, internet services were suspended in the district on Monday.
The
encounter began late Saturday after a joint team of the Army, CRPF and J&K Police, based on intelligence inputs, launched a cordon-and-search operation in Rawalpora. The holed-in ultras were offered a chance to surrender but they opened fire on the search party instead, triggering a gunfight. Even as the cordon remained intact, the fire exchange was suspended temporarily during the night.
When it resumed early Sunday, Jahangir Ahmad Wani from Shopian’s Rakh Narapora area was killed and a US-made M-4 carbine rifle recovered from the spot even as stone-pelters tried to disrupt the encounter by targeting the security forces. This was the first time since the nullification of Articles 370 and 35A that terrorist sympathisers attempted to thwart an ongoing anti-terror operation. Three houses caught fire near the encounter site as miscreants tried to disturb the operation by creating law and order problems. Several stone-pelters were injured in the clash and many who sustained pellet injuries in police retaliation were hospitalised.
The firefight was suspended again on Sunday night to prevent civilian casualties, and ended with Afghani’s killing on Monday morning, IGP Kumar added.