Bandipora: A senior Army officer announced that a terrorist affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba was killed in a gun battle in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district, marking a significant achievement for security forces.
The terrorist, identified as Umar Lone, a resident of Pattan in Baramulla district, was killed in an encounter on Monday. “Lone had been active since 2018 and was a category ‘A’ terrorist, associated with the LeT and the TRF (The Resistance Front),” stated Commander of the Army’s 3 Sector Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Vipul Tyagi, during a press briefing in Bandipora on Tuesday.
The operation began on the intervening night of June 16-17, following specific intelligence about terrorist presence in the Aragam area of Bandipora. “Security forces had been monitoring the area, and a specific intelligence input was received that night,” Brigadier Tyagi explained. “Based on this intelligence, the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF launched a joint operation.”
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Brigadier Tyagi detailed that during the operation, the ambush party detected suspicious movement and engaged the terrorists, leading to the death of Umar Lone, who hailed from Wussankhui Pattan. “Lone was involved in various terrorist activities, including recruitment, managing an Over Ground Worker (OGW) network, and multiple killings,” he noted. “The elimination of Umar Lone is a significant success for the security forces.”
The senior officer also emphasized that recent weeks have seen high operational momentum from the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF, resulting in the elimination of several long-standing terrorists. “Public support has been instrumental during these operations, and we will continue such efforts in the future,” he added.
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This follows Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairing a high-level meeting in Delhi to discuss the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. During the meeting, Shah instructed top officials to deliver a “strong response” to the rising terrorism in the Jammu region.
In the past two weeks, terrorists have attacked four locations in the Reasi, Kathua, and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of nine individuals, including a CRPF jawan.
On June 12, security forces gunned down two Pakistani terrorists in Kathua district, recovering a large cache of arms and ammunition from them.