LeT militant killed in encounter with J&K police in Pulwama

A militant belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group was killed during a clash with Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police and other security forces in the Frassipora area of Pulwama district on Thursday. This marks the first encounter in the region in over four months, with the last one occurring in the Arihal area of the same district on December 1, resulting in the death of one local militant.

According to the J&K Police, they received specific information about the presence of a militant in the village, leading to a joint cordon and search operation conducted by the Police, Army, and CRPF in Frassipora. During the operation, the hiding militant opened fire on the joint search party, prompting the security forces to retaliate, resulting in an encounter.

The militant has been identified as Danish Sheikh, a resident of Srinagar, allegedly associated with the LeT and operating under the banner of The Resistance Front. Police recovered arms, ammunition, and other incriminating materials from the encounter site.

In a separate incident in the Baramulla district, three individuals suspected to be "terror associates" linked to the LeT were arrested, and grenades were seized from their possession. The arrests were made based on credible intelligence indicating that unidentified terrorists associated with the LeT were moving in Baramulla town with intentions to target security forces.

The arrested individuals, identified as Owais Ahmad Waza, Basit Fayaz Kaloo, and Faheem Ahmad Mir, were allegedly providing assistance to the terrorists and sharing information about security force movements. Their purported intention was to disrupt the peace process in Baramulla ahead of the forthcoming elections, orchestrated by their handlers across the border.