Srinagar: Al-Badar chief Gani Khawaja was on Tuesday killed in a brief encounter with security forces during an encounter which ensured after forces launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) in the apple township of Sopore in north Kashmir district of Baramulla.
Official sources said that following specific information about presence of militants, a joint CASO was launched by Army, police and CRPF at Tujjar area in Sopore on Tuesday evening.
However, they said when security forces were cordoning off a particular area, a militant hiding there, fired at them with an automatic weapon. “The security forces retaliated, ensuing in an encounter,” they said.
They said a militant was killed in the exchange of fire. “The deceased was later identified as Al-Badr chief Gani Khawaja,” they said, adding arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site.
They said the operation was still going on when the reports last came in.
