Srinagar: Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Vijay Kumar on Thursday said that a commander of The Resistance Front ( TRF) outfit, who was a Pakistani national, was killed in an encounter in Hazratbal area of Srinagar on Thursday. The IGP identified the killed militant as Haider and said he was on a “mission to carry attack on the police guard at the shrine and snatch the rifle,”
“One terrorist killed by Srinagar Police in Hazratbal area. Search for two others who fled from the encounter site going on : IGP Kashmir @JmuKmrPolice,” Kashmir Zone Police Tweeted Thursday.
Kashmir police chief said that as soon the militant saw the police party, he opened fire with a pistol. “In retaliatory fire he was killed,” Kumar said, adding that the killed militant had been active since the last six months in Srinagar.
“One of his videos had also gone viral recently,” Kumar said. He said two more militants fled from the incident spot. “We are tracking them using CCTV footage,” Kumar said.
The IGP said that by taking shelter at religious places, militants are trying to “create law and order problem.”
Giving out details about the Hazratbal encounter, a police statement said: “Srinagar Police generated a specific input and neutralised a foreign terrorist affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT (TRF) in a brief shootout in Hazratbal area. He has been identified as Manzoor @ Haider @Hamzah, a Pakistani national. The killed terrorist along with two other terrorists who managed to escape from the spot were on a mission to snatch weapon from the police personnel guarding the Hazratbal shrine. The timely action of a small police party who were tracking them led to the elimination of foreign terrorist. Efforts are on to track the other two terrorists who fled from the spot. As per police records, he was a close associate of terrorist commander Mehran of proscribed terror outfit LeT (TRF) and involved in several terror crime cases including civilian atrocities.”