Stating that their aim is to make local militants surrender, Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, on Friday said that two among the three militants killed in Tral had joint militant ranks this month only.
He said that the militants were offered to surrender but they refused.
“A recent grenade attack was carried out by one among the slain – Arif Bashir of Mandoora,” he said.
The IGP said that an AK-47 and four grenades besides a pistol were recovered from the slain militants.
“In today’s encounter, we tried to make them surrender but they did not,” he said adding that they will try their best to make the locals militants surrender. “In around 80 percent cases, we get to know the details of parents of the hiding militants and we try to contact them.”
Regarding Wednesday’s IED attack on Jammu-Srinagar highway near Kulgam, he said soldiers try to take shelter in vacant buildings and they should sanitise them prior to going there.
“Jaish-e-Mohammad was involved in it. One militant, Mufti Altaf from Dooru and a foreign militant were involved,” he said adding that security forces will soon track them down.
Announcing that police were planning to develop an online portal for interaction with youth, the IGP said the claims of families of three youth killed in Lawaypora have proved wrong.
IGP told reporters that all the three were in touch with each other and one among them was counselled by the police in Pulwama. “They (families) said the trio did not know each other but what transpired through investigation is that all three of them boarded the same vehicle at 2:30 p.m. and de-boarded just before encounter site,” he said adding that in 2019, the policeman’s son (one among the slain at Lawaypora) was brought to Special Operation Group camp and counselled (against joining militant ranks). “Metadata also shows that two from Pulwama had IP addresses from Pakistan.”
The senior police officer said that one among the slain was in contact through virtual numbers with two Pakistan militant commanders. “Whatever family is saying has proved wrong,” he said adding that the family should have stopped them.