New Delhi: Indian security forces have killed Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Uzair Khan and another terrorist, Jammu and Kashmir Police top cop Vijay Kumar said Tuesday, signalling the end of the long-drawn encounter in Anantnag.
The Additional Director General of Police of Kashmir told reporters that the body of Uzair Khan had been retrieved while that of the other terrorist was still at the encounter site.
The encounter began last Tuesday after intelligence pointed to the presence of terrorists in the forested area of Kokernag.
During the operation the next day, terrorists gunned down Colonel Manpreet Singh, who was the commanding officer of the security unit. Major Ashish Dhonchak and a young Jammu and Kashmir Police officer Humayun Bhat were killed along with him.
Kumar said Tuesday that the security forces would not abandon search operations yet as many areas in the forest needed to be cleared.
Advising people not to go anywhere near the area, Kumar said there might be live grenades lying around. He also said intelligence had alerted them to two to three terrorists. “It is possible we will find the third body somewhere. So the search will continue,” the senior officer said.
Meanwhile, another soldier has unfortunately died in the seven-day encounter. News agency ANI reported that Sepoy Pradeep Singh, 27, who went missing on 13 September, was found dead on Monday evening.