Top TRF terrorist among two gunned down in Kulgam encounter

The most wanted “A++ category terrorist” and operational chief of Pakistan-backed The Resistance Front (TRF), Basit Dar, was among two terrorists killed on Tuesday in an encounter with the security forces in the Redwani area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. The NIA had announced a Rs 10 lakh reward for providing credible information on Dar’s whereabouts.

A joint team of the Army, CRPF, and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the J&K Police launched an anti-terrorist operation on Monday night after receiving intelligence inputs on the presence of terrorists in the area. The operation, which was halted in the night, resumed on Tuesday morning during which the two terrorists were killed in a fierce gunfight.

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The house in which the terrorists were hiding caught fire during the gunfight on Tuesday morning.

IGP (Kashmir) VK Birdi hailed the elimination of the top terrorist as a big achievement. He said that Dar was actively involved in terrorist activities since April 2021 and took part in numerous attacks targeting minorities, civilians, and security forces. He had been missing from his home for three years before joining the TRF, a frontal outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

The identity of the other slain terrorist is being ascertained.

Security forces are conducting a search operation at the encounter spot. Additional forces have been deployed at the encounter site.

It is worth mentioning that Kulgam falls within the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency, where three targeted killings by terrorists occurred recently. These included the killing of an IAF soldier, a government official, and a member of the Village Defence Group (VDG) within the past fortnight, spanning across the Rajouri and Poonch districts.