Two LeT militants killed in Srinagar encounter: Police

Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Rainawari area of Srinagar on Wednesday, police said.

The encounter broke out around midnight following a cordon and search operation in the old city area, a police official said.

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar, said of the two militants killed in the brief gun battle, one was carrying an “ID card of media”.

“One of the killed categorised local terrorists of proscribed terror outfit LeT was carrying identity card of media. It indicates a clear case of misuse of media,” Kumar tweeted.

The card bears the name Rayees Ahmad Bhat, editor-in-chief of Valley Media Service, an unknown news gathering agency. The other militant has been identified as Hilal Ahmad.

Giving details of the operation, Kumar said on Wednesday evening the police got information that two terrorists were hiding in the Rainawari.

“Police laid a cordon and during searches, the terrorists opened firing leading to an encounter. Two terrorists were killed in the gunfight. Both are local terrorists belonging to Anantnag district,” the IGP said.