Pulwama co-conspirator among 2 militants killed in J-K encounter

Two militants including a self-styled 'commander' of Jaish-e-Mohammad, who was a co-conspirator in the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, were Tuesday killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, police said.

"Fayaz Panzoo was killed along with his associate in an encounter based on a specific police input at Bijbehara in Anantnag district," a police official said.

He added Panzoo alias Fayaz Ahmad Thokar alias Hanzulla Bai was a "co-conspirator" of the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed by a militant who used a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) to trigger the deadly blast.

Panzoo was also involved in the deadly attack on CRPF personnel at Anantnag town on June 12 in which five CRPF men were killed and SHO Arshad Khan was seriously injured and later succumbed to injuries, the official said.

The official said Panzoo joined the terror ranks in April, 2018 and was active in the Tral-Awantipora-Bijbehara-Ashmuqam areas adding he was a "most wanted" terrorists as he recruited and motivated youth to join the JeM ranks and executed a number of major terror attacks in the past.

He used to provide logistics to foreign terrorists operating in the Kashmir valley and helped to raise local over ground workers, the official said.

The other slain militant has been identified as Shanu Showket of Bijbehara, he added.

The police official termed the killing of Panzoo as a "big achievement".