J-K: 'Selfie terrorist' Umer Ganani, 5 others gunned down

In a major success for the security forces in the Kashmir Valley, six top commanders of two terrorist outfits Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen were gunned down in Batagund area of Kapran in Shopian.

Umer Ganai, whose Lal Chowk photo recently went viral, was among those killed in the encounter. The terrorist had escaped from Batmaloo encounter in August and killed several people including cops since 2016, the Jammu and Kashmir Police informed.

"He was involved in Pombai Bank guard attack case in which four policemen and two banks guards had lost their lives in 2017. Several terror cases were registered against him," said the police statement.

The police also confirmed that incriminating material including a huge quantity of arms and ammunition have been recovered from the site of encounter.

"Out of the total six terrorists, four belonged to Hizb-ul Mujahideen while the remaining two were from Lashkar e Taiba (LeT). An investigation in the same is underway," Shopian Senior Superintendent of Police, Sandeep Chaudhary, told ANI.

Other than Ganai, the slain terrorists have been identified as Mohammad Abass Bhatt, Mohd Waseem Wagay alias Saifullah, Khalid Farooq and Mushtaq Ahmad Mir alias Hammad.

Apart from the six terrorists, one civilian, identified as Nouman Ashraf Bhat from Kulgam, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, while four others injured in the incident are said to be stable.

With snowfall and winters firmly setting in, incidents of terror strikes have been on the rise in the state.

On November 20, an Army personnel was killed and four terrorists were neutralised in an encounter in Nadigam village of the same district.