Two militants, including TRF chief, killed in shootout with police in Jammu and Kashmir

In a breakthrough, the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday killed two top commanders of Lashkar-e-Toiba offshoot The Resistance Force (TRF) who were responsible for several killings and motivating the youth to join terror ranks, a senior police official said.

Mohammad Abbas Sheikh, one of the longest surviving militants and chief of the TRF, and his deputy Saqib Manzoor were killed in a swift intelligence-based operation following a brief shootout with police personnel at Aloochi Bagh in the city, the official said.

”We had information about their presence in the area. Ten jawans of the police dressed in civvies quickly surrounded the area and challenged the terrorists, who opened firing. In retaliatory firing, the duo were killed, ” Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar told reporters.

He said the killing of Sheikh and Manzoor was a major success for the security forces.

”At the behest of Abbas Sheikh, Saqib Manzoor had carried out several killings. They had spread terror in the area,” Kumar said. He said people in the area were fed up as the duo were motivating youngsters to join terror ranks.

”We appeal to the people to prevent their children from joining terrorists. If they have already joined, please bring them back (to the mainstream). We will welcome them,” Kumar said.

Abbas Sheikh, who was earlier with the Hizbul Mujahideen, had defected to TRF two years ago. According to security officials, Sheikh was the mastermind behind most of the killings undertaken by his outfit in the past one year. Manzoor, a post-graduate student when he joined the TRF last year, quickly rose through the ranks as he was believed to have executed some of the killings in and around Srinagar at Sheikh’s behest, they said.

A police spokesman said the slain militants were involved in a series of civilian killings including that if advocate Babar Qadri here. ”As per police records, both the killed terrorists were involved in killing of several political workers, police personnel and civilians. Saqib Manzoor was involved in killing of Advocate Babar Qadri last year. Besides, both the terrorists were also involved in several grenade attacks on security establishments and were also involved in several other terror crimes and civilian atrocities,” the spokesman said.

He said according to the list of terror crimes prepared by police, Manzoor was involved in more than half a dozen killings which also included that of a goldsmith, Satpal Nischal. The spokesman said the duo were also involved in reviving terror folds in Srinagar district and in the process recruited seven youth into terror ranks from the district.

”Among them, four stand already neutralised,” he added. Sheikh was one of the longest surviving militants as he had terror cases registered against him that go back to 2006.

”Abbas Sheikh was a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist, arrested and released twice. Later on he joined the LeT (so-called TRF as chief). There are several terrorist and OGWs in his relationship. Besides, he was involved in several routine-crimes and narcotics,” the spokesman said.