2 ultras tasked to target pilgrimage, neutralized

Security force gunned down two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants including a Pakistani national – who were part of a group sent to attack the Amarnath yatra – in Srinagar on Tuesday, police said.
Five police personnel were also injured in the encounter, they said.

The slain terrorists have been identified as Abdullah Goujri, a resident of Faisalabad Pakistan, and Adil Hussain Mir alias Sufian alias Musab, a resident of Anantnag, a police spokesperson said.
Both are linked with the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and were being tracked continuously after they had earlier escaped from an encounter in Sopore.

Acting on specific information regarding the movement of the terrorists in the Bemina area of Srinagar, police established a special checking point there, a police spokesman said.
During checking, the two suspects started indiscriminate firing at the police party, he said.
In the initial exchange of fire, five police personnel received minor injuries and were immediately evacuated to the hospital, the spokesman said.

The two terrorists were killed in the ensuing encounter and their bodies were retrieved from the site, he said.
The spokesman said Mir had crossed over to Pakistan in 2018 on a visit visa from Wagah.
IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said the two were part of a group sent by Pakistan to attack the annual Amarnath Yatra.

The Pakistan-based terror handlers had sent two Pakistani LeT terrorists along with Mir with the directions to carry out attacks on Amarnath Yatra.

However, all the three terrorists have been killed in two separate encounters – one at Sopore and two at Bemina, Srinagar, Kumar said.

The IGP appreciated the role of police in tracking and neutralising the terrorists who had recently escaped in the Sopore encounter.

‘It is a big success for us as they were planning to attack Amarnath Yatra. However, the prompt and timely action by the police led to the elimination of both the terrorists and thereby averting the possible major threat,” he said.
“Incriminating material, arms and ammunition, including two AK-47 rifles, 10 magazines and 165 live cartridges, matrix sheets, Pakistani medicines, etc were recovered from the site of the encounter,” the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh on Tuesday called for putting in place an effective mechanism for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the Amarnath Yatra and directed for making adequate use of technology to augment the security for the pilgrimage.

Singh chaired a high-level meeting of senior officers from police, civil administration and CAPFs to review the security arrangements and deployment of personnel for the yatra, at the Police Control Room here.

The director general of the J-K Police directed for placing all possible security arrangements at the pilgrimage base camps and strengthening the communication network.

He stressed for effective and planned regulation of traffic management on the national highway and other roads, parking of vehicles and deployment of forces on the yatra routes of Pahalgam and Baltal.

Singh emphasised upon the officers to make adequate use of modern security gadgets and technology, including CCTVs and drones, to further augment the security at important yatra locations and en-route.

He stressed for keeping special focus on sensitive locations and base camps, including parking places, and directed deployment of quick response teams to provide immediate assistance to the pilgrims as and when required.

Stressing for coordination mechanisms and communication systems among the counterparts of all the stakeholders of Army, CAPFs, police and civil administration, the DGP said close coordination is a must for better results.

He directed for putting in place effective mechanism and planning for smooth and peaceful conduct of the yatra.
The police chief emphasised that local and highway security grids need to be kept fully geared up at all levels and joint efforts of all security forces must continue to smoothly conduct the pilgrimage.

He also reviewed the additional security measures being taken on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
Singh said adequate manpower has been made available to the jurisdictional officers and reiterated that the identified routes of travel and movement, do’s and don’ts for the yatris and helpline numbers should be made public so that the pilgrims could take note and ask for any assistance effortlessly.

The officers representing different forces apprised the DGP regarding the arrangements with regard to security and deployment of manpower in their respective areas of jurisdiction to ensure peaceful yatra and keep the routes leading to the holy cave hassle-free and safe for pilgrims, an official spokesman said.