Srinagar, August 19: Three terrorists, including a commander of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, were gunned down in two separate encounters with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian and Handwara districts on Wednesday, police said. Security forces had received a specific input about the presence of terrorists in Shopian's Chitragam area, following which a joint operation was launched by the Army, CRPF, and police to flush them out. Jammu And Kashmir: MHA to Withdraw 100 Companies of Paramilitary Forces From Union Territory.

According to police, the operation turned into an encounter after terrorists fired upon the search party, inviting a retaliation. One terrorist has been killed so far, the official said, adding the operation was still in progress. The identity and group affiliation were not immediately known. In a separate encounter later in the day, security forces killed two terrorists in north Kashmir's Handwara. Baramulla Terror Attack: Third Terrorist Gunned Down in Encounter, Two Indian Army Soldiers Martyred.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Handwara's Ganipora Kralgund after receiving specific information about the presence of terrorists there, police said. As security forces surrounded the area where the terrorists were hiding, they came under heavy fire that triggered the encounter. One of the slain terrorists has been identified as Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Naseer-u-din Lone, who was involved in two attacks, IGP Vijay Kumar said.

The two encounters coincided with the Centre's decision to withdraw around 12,000 troopers of various paramilitary forces from Jammu and Kashmir. The Ministry of Home Affairs, in its order on Wednesday, said that the government had reviewed the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). After the review, the government decided to withdraw 100 companies - 40 companies of the CRPF and 20 companies each of the BSF, the SSB and the CISF with immediate effect.

All the companies have been asked to revert to their respective locations. Ahead of the nullification of the Constitution's Articles 370 and 35A on August 5 last year, the government had made additional deployments of paramilitary forces to Jammu and Kashmir, anticipating Pakistan-sponsored terror attacks and separatist violence.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 19, 2020 10:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).