Security forces kill terrorists who attacked SPOs in Kishtwar

Security forces on Friday killed two terrorists who fatally attacked a special police officer and critically injured another in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district early this week, officials said.

On Monday, the terrorists attacked the SPOs with axes in Tander village and escaped into the jungle with their service rifles. The police and the Army had been on their trail since and located them on Friday.

Jammu Zone IGP Mukesh Singh said the terrorists were killed after a gunbattle.

The terrorists have been identified as local residents Ashiq Hussain, a rape accused who was released on bail from Kishtwar Central Jail three weeks ago, and Basharat Hussain.

They are believed to have joined the terrorist ranks and carried out the attack to lay their hands on the weapons.

This was the first terror attack in Kishtwar district this year.

Kishtwar has been rocked by a series of terrorist attacks since November 2018, when it saw its first terror attack in over a decade. That month, senior BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar were killed outside their home in Kishtwar town.

In April last year, RSS functionary Chanderkant Sharma and his SO were killed inside the district hospital.

In September last year, security forces achieved a major breakthrough against terrorists active in the district and killed three militants, including the most wanted Osama Bin Javed in an encounter in Ramban when they were trying to escape an offensive which saw dozens of Hizbul Mujahideen members and overground workers arrested and their hideouts busted.

The terrorists also struck on two more occasions last year and decamped with service rifles of two policemen.