The terrorist killed in a gunfight with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday has been identified as a Pakistani national affiliated to the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a senior police officer said on Friday.
The “most wanted” terrorist had been operating under the code names, Abu Saifullah and Abu Qasim, and active in the militancy-infested south Kashmir for the past one-and-a-half years, he said. Saifullah was wanted for the abduction and killing of two civilians and threatening special police officers (SPOs) and non-local labourers.
A close associate of JeM chief commander Qari Yasir of Pakistan, who was killed in an encounter with security forces in Kupwara district in July 2013, Saifullah was trapped with his local associate at Zaintrag in the Awantipora area on Tuesday morning, he said.
The search operation turned into a gunfight when the terrorists opened fire at the parties of the police, 50 Rashtriya Rifles and 185 Battalion of the CRPF, the officer said. The heavy firing resulted in grievous injuries to Sepoy Rahul Ranswal of Rashtriya Rifles and SPO Shahbaz Ahmad of the police, who were evacuated to the Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar. Both died there, he said.
While the injured jawans were evacuated, the terrorists escaped. They were tracked down the next day in the nearby forest area of Nagander. A fresh gunfight broke out and Saifullah was killed.
