J&K police head constable killed in Kathua, 2 LeT terrorists shot dead in Kulgam

JAMMU/SRINAGAR: J&K police head constable Bashir Ahmed was killed and an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and a deputy SP, who was leading the operation, were wounded Saturday evening during a shootout between security forces and terrorists in Kog-Mandli village in Billawar tehsil of Jammu division’s Kathua district.

Earlier in the day, a senior commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and his associate were killed in a separate counterterrorism operation in Adigam village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Three soldiers and a J&K police additional SP suffered bullet wounds in that shootout.

Head constable Bashir was the latest casualty in the escalating terrorist violence in J&K this summer. Between May 4 and Sept 28, 22 security personnel were killed — 18 in the Jammu zone and four in Kashmir valley.

Officials reported that a joint team of security forces launched a search Friday night after receiving intelligence from locals about “suspicious men carrying weapons” near the isolated, mountainside village of Lahiri in Kathua. The search extended to nearby villages. By Saturday evening, a gunfight erupted in Kog-Mandli village, where terrorists were believed to be hiding in a house. ADG Anand Jain confirmed that head constable Bashir lost his life, while the ASI was wounded in the exchange of fire.

South Kashmir range DIG Javaid Iqbal Matoo confirmed that two terrorists, including LeT commander Umais Ahmed Wani, were killed in the Kulgam operation. Kulgam native Wani had been active in the Pakistan-backed outfit since 2020 and had multiple FIRs registered against him. The second terrorist was identified as Aqib Ahmed Gojri, active since 2022 and involved in multiple cases.

A top official said the shooting started in the morning when two to three terrorists hiding in the area opened fire on a joint team of soldiers and police. The team had been dispatched based on specific intelligence regarding the presence of “armed foreign intruders”. ASP Mumtaz Ali was among the wounded, while the names of the three soldiers have not been officially released. Their conditions are reported as stable.

The Kulgam operation marks the first major clash between security forces and terrorists in Kashmir valley during the ongoing three-phase assembly elections, which began on Sept 18 and will conclude on Oct 1.

Kashmir range IG VK Birdi said police have made all necessary security arrangements for the third phase of elections in five districts of north Kashmir.
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