Kulgam encounter: Two TRF terrorists killed; 5 security personnel injured

Srinagar, Sept 28: Two terrorists from The Resistance Front (TRF) were neutralized and five security personnel, including a senior Jammu and Kashmir Police officer, were injured during an encounter in the Adigam area of Kulgam district on Saturday.
Addressing a joint press conference with the Army and CRPF in Kulgam, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of South Kashmir, Javed Ahmad Matoo, confirmed that the operation led to the recovery of a significant cache of arms and ammunition. “It is very difficult to identify the bodies at this stage. DNA samples have been collected, and investigations are ongoing,” he said.
“It is very difficult to identify the dead bodies. The investigation is going on and we have taken DNA samples. But as I told you earlier, we had a specific input and according to that input, one of them is Umesh Ahmed Wani who is a resident of Chawalgam village, Kulgam. He belonged to TRF (The Resistance Front) and he joined it in 2020,” he said.
DIG Matoo said Wani was active in Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Antanag districts and several FIRs were registered against him.
“Secondly, we had inputs about AqibSherGojri, he was associated with the terrorist organization since August 2022 and he was also involved in many terrorist activities and several FIRs were registered against him in Kulgam, Pulwama, Budgam districts”.
He was also associated with the TRF organization and was active in Pulwama, Shopian, Budgam, Anantnag districts for the last 2.5 years. Two AK 47 rifles, 5 magazines, pistols and other arms and ammunition have been recovered.
DIG South Kashmir CRPF Kulvir Singh Deswal also said that Army, police and CRPF jawans sieged a particular house and Mohalla in the village on the basis of information received.
“When the search was going on, the terrorists who were hiding there fired at security forces. Thereafter the encounter started, and during it two terrorists were killed. We recovered a lot of armour and ammunition from them,” he said.
Meanwhile, four soldiers and a senior police officer were injured in the encounter. The injured have been identified as Additional SP, Kulgam, Mumtaz Ali Bhatti, and sepoys Mohan Sharma, Sohan Kumar, Yoginder and Mohammad Isran of the Rashtriya Rifles. The injured were shifted to BB Cant Hospital in Srinagar, where there condition is believed to be out of danger.
Earlier, joint teams of police security forces received specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a group of terrorists in Adigam village of Kulgam, army, police, and the CRPF started a CASO (Cordon & Search Operation) in the area.
A police spokesman said that an encounter between the security forces and the terrorists was taking place in the Adigam area of Kulgam. The identity of the dead terrorists is being ascertained as the firing exchanges are still continuing in the area.
He said two bodies recovered from the encounter site. Identification and affiliation being ascertained. Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition recovered. Search in progress. Further details shall follow.