The encounter in Pulwama has been going on for more than an hour
Two top terrorists of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed in a targeted encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama today. One of them, identified as Kamran, was a key aide of Jaish chief Masood Azhar, who was responsible for recruiting and training terrorists in the Kashmir valley. The second one was an IED specialist, Gazi Rashid, an Afghan national. Four soldiers were killed in the encounter, which has been going on for more than 12 hours. A civilian has also been killed in the crossfire.
Today is also the fourth day of curfew in Jammu And Kashmir. There are no reports of violence but the situation still continues to be tense. The curfew was imposed on Friday after mobs attacked some people and burnt vehicles. More than 1000 people have been left stranded in the city and have been put up in the local mosques and madarsas.
Traders' body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has called for a nationwide trade bandh on Monday. They are expressing solidarity with the families of security personnel killed in the Pulwama attack.
On Thursday, a terrorist drove up a car carrying 60 kg of RDX explosives next to a security convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar highway and triggered the explosives in what is the worst terror attack to take place in Kashmir since the start of the century.
Here are the highlights on this story:
On February 19, at 15 East Park Road, Ajmal Khan Park, Karol Bagh, a havan ceremony will be performed in the memory of CRPF and army soldiers of Kashmir with a prayer for making India stronger to fight against terrorism.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today visited the family of CRPF jawan Vijay Maurya, who was killed in the Pulwama terrorist attack, in Deoria district in eastern Uttar Pradesh and stayed there for 20 minutes.
Vijay Laxmi, the slain CRPF jawan's wife, had refused to cremate the body till the chief minister visited them. She later allowed the last rites to be performed on Saturday night.
Adityanath paid floral tributes to the martyr as Jaidev Chapia villagers raised anti-Pakistan slogans.
He met the slain soldier's wife and his father Ramayan Maurya and promised them that India will give a befitting reply to Pakistan for the terrorist attack carried by a Pakistan-based group in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed on Thursday. Adityanath said the sacrifice of Vijay Maurya will not go in vain.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that the Pulwama terror attack has showed that the time to talk about tackling terror is over and the world is now required to unitedly take concrete action against terrorism and those spreading it
The Pakistan High Commissioner to India has been called back to Islamabad for consultations amid tension between the neighbouring countries over the Pulwama terror attack. Read
here
Security forces today scored a big success with the killing of a top terrorist of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Pakistan-based group that carried out the suicide bombing in Pulwama on February 14, killing over 40 soldiers. Kamran, one of the two terrorists killed in a 12-hour encounter at Pulwama this morning, was a close aide of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar.
Here is the Jammu and Kashmir Police statement on the encounter in Pulwama:
Based on credible inputs about the presence of terrorists in Pinglena area of South Kashmir's Pulwama district, a cordon and search operation was launched jointly by Police and security forces in the intervening night in the area.
As the searches were going on, terrorists from inside the target house fired indiscriminately on the search party. In the initial burst of fire, four army jawans and one civilian sustained critical gun shot injuries. They were evacuated to hospital for medical attention. Consequently, four injured jawans attained martyrdom and the civilian also succumbed to his injuries. The martyred jawans have been identified as Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, Hawaldar Sheo Ram, Sepoy Hari Singh and Sepoy Ajay Kumar.
The fire was retaliated by the security forces leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter so far 2 terrorists have been killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. The identities and affiliations of the killed terrorists are being ascertained. The encounter is still in progress and the security forces are on the job.
Citizens are requested not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area is a prohibited zone and can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials if any.
Kamran was an aide of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar
It has been confirmed that top Jaish-e-Mohammed commander Kamran has been killed in the encounter.
A cordon and search operation by the security forces has started in Krawora village in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, news agency ANI reports
Kamal Haasan has clarified his comments on plebiscite saying it was in the context of a magazine unedited decades ago
Kamran, the suspected mastermind behind the February 14 terror attack, is one of the two terrorists killed in the encounter today, say sources. Read
here "Why India is not holding a plebiscite in Kashmir? What are they (Indian government) afraid of?" actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan asked in Chennai yesterday.
"Why do the soldiers die? Why should our home's watchman die? If politicians on both sides (in India and in Pakistan) behave properly, no soldier needs to die. The Line of Control will be under control," he said
Two terrorists have reportedly been killed in the encounter
A terrorist named Ghazi is likely the main target of the operation. He is believed to be the mastermind behind the attack on Thursday and possibly made the IED used in the blast
One terrorist has reportedly been killed in the encounter
Bus service across Line-of-Control from Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir to Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir has been suspended for today
Three Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists are believed to be holed up, as firing resumes in Pulwama. One civilian has also been killed in the crossfire
The Jammu and Kashmir government Sunday asked its liaison officers across the country to ensure safety of Jammu and Kashmir students studying in other states following reports of alleged harassment after the Pulwama terror attack, an official spokesman said. Read
here The Jammu-Srinagar highway is to open for one-way traffic today, news agency IANS reports
Today is the fourth day of curfew in Jammu and Kashmir. It was imposed a day after the attack on Friday after mobs attacked some people and burnt vehicles.
Days after over 40 security personnel were killed in terror attack, four soldiers were killed in an overnight encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama.
Read here.