The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday said two of the three militants killed in an encounter in Kulgam on Sunday were top commanders of Pakistan-based extremist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Besides the three militants, Deputy Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar Thakur and Naib Subedar Somveer of 34 Rashtriya Rifles were killed in the gunfight. Three security personnel were injured.
A joint team of the Rashtriya Rifles, the Central Reserve Police Force and the Special Operations Group had launched a cordon-and-search operation in Turigam area of the district after getting information about the presence of militants there. The militants fired on the security personnel, which triggered a gunfight.
Militants Waleed and Numan were Pakistanis and were active in southern parts of the Valley, the police said. They were allegedly involved in conspiring and executing several terror attacks and were wanted for their complicity in a series of terror crimes.
The third militant was identified as Raqib Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Kulgam. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter, the police added.
On Monday morning, wreath laying ceremony for Thakur was held in Jammu and was attended by state Governor Satya Pal Malik and Union minister Jitendra Singh.
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