SRINAGAR: On the 7th day of a search operation of security forces in the Gadole forest area of Kokernag in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, troops on Tuesday recovered the bodies of two militants including a local Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Uzair Khan.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar told reporters today that they had information that 2-3 militants were hiding in the Gadole forest area of Kokernag.
He said two militants including Lashkar commander Uzair Khan have been killed in the seven-day-long operation.
Kumar said the body of Uzair has been recovered and another body of a militant is lying in the forest area.
Uzair had joined militancy in July last year and was one of the wanted militants in J&K.
The Lashkar militants were involved in the killing of four security men including three officials Colonel Manpreet Singh (Commanding Officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles), Major Ashish Dhonchak and Deputy Superintendent of Police Humayun Bhat.
The four security men were killed in the initial gunfight with militants in the forest area on Wednesday last and since then security men have been tracking down the militants.
The security men used drones, quadcopters and helicopters and fired hundreds of rockets, mortar shells, grenades and ammunition from drones towards the possible militant hideouts in the forest area to eliminate the militants.
Asked whether the operation has been called off, ADGP said the search operation will continue and urged locals not to go closer to the encounter site as unexploded grenades or shells will be collected and destroyed.
“We are also searching for the third dead body of the militant,” he said.
On casualties suffered by security forces in the encounter, Kumar said three officers, two from army and one from the police and a soldier were killed in the encounter.
The operation was being supervised by General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Srinagar-based Army’s 15 Corps Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai and Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh.