Two terrorists and one Army Jawan killed in Pulwama encounter

28-02-2023 : On Tuesday, two terrorists and one Army Jawan were killed in an encounter that took place in Padgampora area of Awantipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The encounter left another Jawan critically injured.

ADGP Vijay Kumar stated that one of the terrorists killed in the encounter, Aqib Mustaq Bhat, was responsible for the killing of Sanjay Sharma, a Kashmiri Pandit, in Pulwama district on Sunday. Bhat was a category “A” terrorist who had initially worked for the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit, and had more recently been working with the TRF. Kumar praised the joint efforts of the police and security forces in conducting the complex operation, which involved defusing a hostage situation while maintaining the sanctity of a mosque.

During the encounter, Sepoy Pawan Kumar and Naik Hemraj were injured and evacuated to 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar. Sepoy Pawan Kumar overpowered the first terrorist in a hand-to-hand combat but was grievously injured and later succumbed to his injuries, according to an Army spokesman. The spokesman stated that Kumar had made the supreme sacrifice in the highest traditions of the Indian Army. The other injured soldier is in the ICU and is under the supervision of doctors.

The slain terrorists were identified as Aqib Mushtaq Bhat and Aijaz Ahmad Bhat. Aqib Mushtaq Bhat was associated with the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit and had been working with the TRF for the past few months. Aijaz Ahmad Bhat was associated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit and had also been working in coordination with the TRF.

In a statement, the police stated that the joint forces of the Army, J&K Police, and CRPF launched a cordon in Padgampora village of Awantipora based on specific input. The terrorists opened fire from inside a mosque, injuring two Army jawans. One of the jawans later succumbed to his injuries. Extreme caution and limited firepower were used to prevent collateral damage, and civilians praying inside the mosque were safely evacuated.

The search for the second terrorist continued, and 14 civilians were rescued before he was neutralized. Incriminating materials, arms, and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site. The investigation revealed that both terrorists had joined different terrorist organizations but had come together to conspire and attack minorities, outsiders, vulnerable targets, and security forces.

The slain terrorists were involved in several cases, including the recent killing of Kashmiri Pandit Sanjay Pandita, an attack on two outside laborers at Lajoora, an attempted weapon snatching, and supporting an overground worker (OGW) module for grenade lobbing, among other cases. The joint operation was launched based on information received on Monday.

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