Pulwama attack mastermind, Jaish commander killed in encounter, 4 soldiers martyred
New Delhi : Two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants, including the commander who masterminded terror attack on 14th Feb, killing 44 CRPF jawans in Pulwama have been killed in an encounter in the south Kashmir district. During the operation, our four army personnel were also martyred.
Sources said Kamran, a Pakistani terrorist believed to have plotted the terror attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers, and a local militant named Hilal have been killed in the gunfight in Pinglan area of Pulwama district. It is also known that another terrorist is under close surveillance
Conversely, the security forces are yet to confirm the identities of the dead bodies. "The terrorists are believed to be linked to the February 14 car bombing. The exact identities of the two terrorists killed are being ascertained," PTI quoted a defence spokesperson as saying.
The four army personnel who were killed in action belonged to 55 Rashtriya Rifles.
Security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in Pinglan area last night after receiving inputs about the presence of militants in the area, PTI quoted a police official as saying. He said as the forces were conducting searches, the militants fired upon them, triggering a gun battle.
Meanwhile, in the battle ground civilian was also reportedly killed but there was no confirmation so far, PTI reported.
Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus in Pulwama district.
In a major diplomatic offensive against Islamabad after the attack, India has highlighted Pakistan's role in using terrorism as an instrument of state policy.
India has also demanded that Pakistan should take immediate and verifiable action against terrorists and terror groups operating from territories under its control to create atmosphere in the region, free of terror.
India also announced the withdrawal of the Most Favoured Nation status for Pakistan and hiked the customs duty by 200 per cent on goods originating from Pakistan with immediate effect on Saturday.
