Fazil Mir
Srinagar, April 22, (KDC): Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) Commander Yousuf Kantroo along with two other associates were killed in a fierce gun battle at Malwa area of Northern Kashmir’s Baramulla district, officials said on Friday.
A police official told news agency Kashmir Dot Com that three local militants have been killed in Baramulla operation, including LeT Commander Yousuf Kantroo. “In the operation, four soldiers and one policeman were also injured,” the officer said.
After the gunfight, three bodies of militants were recovered from the encounter site and the operation has been called off, the officer added.
During the initial stage of the encounter, the longest surviving militant commander of LeT, Yousuf Kantroo, a resident of Budgam district, was killed by forces.
“Top LeT (militant) Commander Yousuf Kantroo killed in Baramulla encounter. He was involved in several killings of civilians & SFs personnel including recent killing of JKP’s SPO & his brother, one soldier and one civilian in Budgam district. A big success for us,” IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said in a tweet.
Kumar said that LeT commander Yousuf Kantroo had killed BDC Chairman Late Sardar Bhupinder Singh on 23/9/20 in his own native place in Khag area. Case FIR No 79/20 was registered against the militant Kantroo in Police Station Khag.
The slain militants have been identified as Yousuf Kantroo, a resident of Budgam; Hilal Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Baramulla and Faisal Dar (17), a resident of Budgam.
The encounter broke out in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday at Malwah area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district after a cordon and search operation was carried out by a joint team of Police, Army and CRPF following specific inputs generated by Budgam Police about the presence of militants. (KDC)
