Srinagar: The terrorist killed in Operation Ashdar by the joint forces Friday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district was Saturday identified as a Pakistani national and a member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
J&K Police said Saturday that the terrorist killed during Operation Ashdar in Budgam has been identified as Yasir, a Pakistani national.
In a post on X, the J&K Police said, “You can run but you can’t hide,” while confirming the identity of the terrorist killed during the operation by the security forces.
The identification comes a day after security forces neutralised a terrorist during a joint operation in the Ashdar Gali area of Budgam. An AK-series rifle and other war-like stores were also recovered from the slain terrorist during the operation, officials said.
The operation was launched on Thursday when a patrol of Para-commandos engaged in firing exchanges with the terrorists after specific Intelligence inputs about the presence of a group of militants there.
Troops of the Rashtriya Rifles and J&K Police joined the operation and ensured that the hiding terrorist did not escape despite darkness in the densely forested area.
Budgam district has witnessed many encounters during the last over 36 years since terrorism started in J&K.
The longest operation was undertaken by the Indian Army in 1995 when a Pakistani terrorist commander, Mast Gul entered the Chrar-e-Sharief town with a group of terrorists and laid siege of the holiest Sufi shrine of Sheikh Nuruddin Wali.
The Indian Army did not storm the town to prevent civilian killings and damage to the Sufi shrine. The standoff continued for 66 days when Mast Gul set fire to the shrine, which quickly spread to the densely populated town.
The Army immediately started a relief and rescue operation with J&K Police, paramilitary forces and the civil administration. Mast Gul managed to escape from the town and crossed over to Pakistan.
As many as 20 terrorists, two Army soldiers and four civilians were killed in the Chrar-e-Sharief operation.