Pulwama encounter a setback for JeM: J-K Police

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday said that elimination of most wanted Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist Noor Mohammad Tantray was a success for the security forces and a major setback for the terrorist group.

Speaking to ANI, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Muneer Khan confirmed that one AK-56, pistol and some magazines were recovered from Noor's possession and two Jawans were injured during the course of the operation.

"We had information that JeM cadres were planning an attack on security forces vehicles on the national highway. This information was developed further and it was in this course that we came to know of the presence of a most wanted JeM terrorist, who was the mastermind of almost all attacks carried out by JeM, was hiding in Samboora. The encounter continued till early morning, and one JeM cadre was identified as Noor Mohammad Tantray. One AK-56, pistol and magazines were recovered from his possession," he said.

IGP Khan further said that the operation that began on Monday had been concluded.

"Noor was a convict; a case was registered against him in 2003 and he was released on parole after which he became a very strong OGW of JeM. In 2017, he went underground and started participating in such activities. There was another member but he managed to escape. His elimination is a setback to the JeM and a very good success for the security forces. One police Jawan and one Army Jawan suffered injuries in the encounter but they are stable now," he added.

The encounter, reportedly, began in the Karnabal Samboora area of South Kashmir's Pulwama district between the militants and the security forces on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

Noor, who is a convict in a case, was lodged in a Delhi jail for some time in 2003. He was serving his sentence at the Central Jail in Srinagar until he jumped his parole in 2015.

Consequently, he remained in Tral in South Kashmir and became a major overground worker of JeM.

In July 2017, after the Aripal encounter, where three JeM terrorists were killed, Noor went underground and soon became the key man of JeM in coordinating and organising attacks at different places.

Noor was also one of the chief architects of the Border Security Force (BSF) camp attack, near the Srinagar airport in October this year. Besides, he was wanted in a number of terror offences.

In the ongoing encounter, two more terrorists are believed to be trapped in the area.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police, 110 Battalion Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 50 RR (Rashtriya Rifles) have been deployed at the site, where the encounter is underway.